Crucial witness in Trump classified docs case retracts testimony after switching lawyer

Washington: According to local media, a crucial witness in the Mar-a-Lago documents case against former US President Donald Trump has retracted his testimony.

Yuscil Taveras, the director of information technology at Trump's Palm Beach, Florida club Mar-a-Lago, retracted his earlier testimony in a new court filing on Tuesday, according to special counsel Jack Smith's office. This was after he had switched from a lawyer paid for by Trump's Save America PAC to a public defender.

In March, Taveras, who is described in a Justice Department court filing as "Trump Employee 4", before the grand jury in Columbia had claimed not to recall any contacts or conversations about the security footage at Mar-a-Lago, the court filing added, IANS reported.

Taveras provided prosecutors with new information regarding alleged efforts to delete surveillance camera footage taken at the Trump's Palm Beach, Fla., club and residence, which led to a revised indictment and new charges against Trump, his valet Walt Nauta and a third defendant, Carlos De Oliveira, the court filing said.

Taveras's new testimony comes after he got to know that he was being investigated on suspicion of having made false statements in his previous grand jury testimony in Washington, D.C. and faced criminal exposure to perjury, the court filing said.

The former president has denied any wrongdoing in the case.

A trial has been listed for May 20, 2024, in Miami.