Brian Butler spent two decades of his life working under Donald Trump at the former President’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, FL, but those days came to an end in Nov. 2022. Since then, he has been one of the key witnesses in Trump’s classified documents case – and now, he’s speaking out for the first time!
What Did Donald Trump Do Wrong?
Alright, let’s backtrack for a second. In 2021, Trump was ordered (by the National Archives) to return all missing presidential records that were taken before he left office. In Jan. 2022, Trump returned 15 boxes – 14 of which contained classified information.
The FBI opened a criminal investigation in March 2022, and Trump was subpoenaed two months later. They found 11 more sets of classified documents in August 2022, at which point Trump accused President Joe Biden of executing a ‘witch hunt.’
Trump Facing 40 Felony Counts In Florida
In June 2023, special counsel Jack Smith unsealed the indictment against Trump. It initially included 37 felony counts, but a superseding indictment in July listed a total of 40 felony counts – including 32 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information.
The indictment also includes one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document, concealing a document in a federal investigation, a scheme to conceal, false statements and representations, altering, destroying, mutilating or concealing an object, and corruptly altering, destroying, mutilating or concealing a document.
Walt Nauta Facing Six Felony Counts
Donald Trump isn’t the only one facing charges – two of his former employees are, as well. One of those employees, Walt Nauta, is facing six felony counts for his role in the classified documents case – including several obstruction- and concealment-related charges.
Nauta was Trump’s valet while still President of the United States. When Trump’s term came to an end, Nauta continued to work for him as a body man at his Mar-a-Lago estate. It was there that he helped Trump hide the classified documents.
Carlos De Oliveira Facing Four Felony Counts
The third defendant in special counsel Jack Smith’s case against Trump is Carlos De Oliveira – Ma-a-Lago’s property manager. He’s facing four felony counts after trying to delete security footage of the classified documents being moved.
In February 2024, De Oliveira asked a judge to dismiss the charges against him because he had no idea what was in the boxes when he moved them. All three defendants – Trump, Nauta, and De Oliveira – pleaded not guilty and continue to deny any wrongdoing.
Meet Brian Butler: ‘Trump Employee Number 5‘
On Monday (March 11), the world met Brian Butler for the first time. Up until that point, the world knew him as ‘Trump Employee Number 5,’ but he decided to reveal his identity in an effort to speak the truth about what happened with the classified documents.
The former Trump employee sat down for an interview with CNN and discussed much of what he knows about the case. He also discussed his relationship with Nauta and De Oliveira and his thoughts on Trump running for re-election this year. Here’s what he said!
Butler Unknowingly Moved Boxes Of Classified Information
In June 2022, Butler helped Nauta move a collection of boxes from Mar-a-Lago to a private plane that Trump took to his New Jersey residence. While they were doing that, Trump was speaking with federal investigators who were wondering where the boxes were.
“I come to realize now at the same time he’s going in there, the boxes are going from somewhere into a vehicle, which are eventually going to the plane, which I load with Walt,” Butler tells CNN – adding that he had no idea what was in the boxes at the time.
Butler And De Oliveira Were Extremely Close Friends
As for his relationship with Carlos De Oliveira, Butler said they used to be best friends. In fact, Butler once stood up for Carlos when Nauta questioned him about De Oliveira’s loyalty to Trump.
“Carlos is one of my best friends. I don’t wanna see him get hurt, or I want them to know that they can trust him,” Butler told CNN. It’s unclear if his relationship with Carlos has soured since.
De Oliveira To Butler: “We’re All Dirty“
At one point during the interview, Butler accused De Oliveira of trying to throw him under the bus – essentially saying Butler was just as guilty as the rest of them for his role in moving the boxes, even though Butler had no idea what was in the boxes.
“There was one time, he said, ‘You know, we’re all dirty. We all moved boxes.’ And I said, ‘Well, look, I didn’t even know what I was moving until I was at the plane, and that’s when I remember moving boxes,'” Butler said.
De Oliveira Pressured Butler To Get A Trump Attorney
When the investigation started heating up, and the indictments started rolling in, De Oliveira pressured Butler into getting a Trump-aligned attorney – as opposed to an independent attorney. Both Walt and De Oliveira hired Trump-aligned attorneys.
Despite his lack of interest in such an attorney, De Oliveira continued to pressure Butler on multiple occasions. He even offered Butler tickets to a golf tournament where he could meet with Trump and also offered him a chance to work for Trump again.
Butler Says Case Isn’t A Witch Hunt
Perhaps one of the biggest revelations Butler made on Monday was that the classified documents case is in no way a ‘witch hunt’ – which is what Donald Trump refers to it as. Butler also called the former President’s claims that he did nothing wrong ‘bogus.’
“I think the American people have the right to know the facts, that this is not a witch hunt,” Butler said. “I don’t want to live in fear. I mean, we’re only here for a finite time. To me, I refuse to live in fear like that. I mean, yes, cautious. But, you know, I’m gonna tell the truth.”
Butler Doesn’t Think Trump Should Be President
Butler didn’t stop there – he went on to say that he has an unfavorable view of Trump these days, even after two decades of working for him. And after everything that has happened over the past eight years, Butler has no interest in supporting Trump for re-election in November.
“I personally would just say I just don’t believe that he should be a presidential candidate at this time. I think it’s time to move on,” he said. “I mean, this is so much bigger than me. It’s bigger than Carlos. You know, this is a nation that needs to decide who’s gonna be the next president.”
Trump Facing 91 Felony Counts In Total
The classified documents case in Florida is just one of four criminal cases Trump is facing right now. In fact, he’s facing a total of 91 charges – including some in New York, Georgia, and the District of Columbia.
In addition to the 40 classified documents charges, Trump is also facing four felony counts in the federal election interference case, 13 felony counts in the Georgia election interference case, and 34 felony counts in the hush money case.
November Election: Trump vs. Biden II
When Donald Trump isn’t fighting for freedom in the court of law, he’s campaigning for yet another shot at being the President of the United States. He announced his run in November 2022 and has already secured the Republican nomination.
With Joe Biden earning the Democratic nomination, we’re gearing up for an intense rematch between Biden and Trump. Biden defeated Trump four years ago with 81,283,501 popular votes and 306 electoral votes – compared to 74,223,975 popular votes and 232 electoral votes.
