Trump's valet who worked at Mar-a-Lago for 20 years comes forward publicly and admits he 'unwittingly' carried boxes of classified documents onto the ex-president's plane and is willing to testify in the Florida case

A former Mar-a-Lago valet who used to ferry insider guests to the former president's private club has come forward to speak publicly about his role in transporting banker's boxers filled with what turned out to be classified information.

Brian Butler, who is identified as 'Trump Employee 5' in Donald Trump's Florida indictment, spoke about moving the material in June of 2022, shortly before he decided to leave employment with Trump.

He is described in it as coordinating the activity with property manager Carlos De Oliviera and Trump aide Waltine 'Walt' Nauta in the superseding indictment prosecutors filed last July, having spoken with federal investigators before Special Counsel Jack Smith's prosecutors filed charges in the case.

'They were the boxes that were in the indictment, the white bankers boxes. That’s what I remember loading,' Butler told CNN in an on-camera interview.

Brian Butler, a longtime Mar-a-Lago employee, broke with Trump's claim that prosecutors are on a 'witch hunt.' He spoke to federal investigators and has been identified as 'Trump Employee 5' in Jack Smith's indictment of the former president

He described getting a June 3, 2022 message from Nauta, who wanted to borrow the Cadillac Escalade that was part of a car service fleet he operate to bring guests to the club.

He ended up assisting in transporting boxes from Mar-a-Lago on a day Trump and a lawyer met with DOJ officials at Mar-a-Lago amid the agency's effort to secure government material. 

'I left Mar-a-Lago. I texted him, "Hey, I’m on my way." He followed me. He pulled out and got behind me. We got to the airport. I ended up loading all the luggage I had – and he had a bunch of boxes,' he said.

According to Butler, the three helped move the material along with Trump family luggage to the airport in West Palm Beach, on a day Trump was making his seasonal pilgrimage to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. 

Butler worked for Trump for two decades, but now sounds disillusioned with the world he inhabited after speaking to federal investigators. He could presumably be called to testify at trial, which could begin this summer if Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon doesn't delay it amid legal squabbles over classified information.

Trump is charged with wrongful possession of national security information that federal agents located at his Florida club

Butler spoke about moving boxes of material from Mar-a-Lago to the airport. He said he didn't know there was classified material 

Longtime personal Trump aide Walt Nauta is charged along with the former president and club property manager Carlos De Oliveira

'I felt like it was a total no-win situation for me. I mean, they’re asking me questions about one of my best friends. I’m being honest. But I also have a bad feeling that what I’m saying is getting him into trouble,' Butler said, in reference to Nauta, a longtime friend. 

'Nobody should have to go through that. And for him (Trump) to get up there all the time and say the things he says about this being a witch hunt and everything. … He just can’t take responsibility for anything,' he said.

John Irving, an attorney for De Oliveira, took a dig at Butler's potential testimony in a comment to the network. 'We look forward to hearing more about Mr. Butler’s version of events when he is under oath and subject to penalty of perjury in the courtroom where that belongs, and we decline to try this case in the media,' he said.

'Employee 5' features in the last paragraph of the superseding indictment, in a passage that could seek to establish efforts to influence a critical witness in the case. 

According to the indictment, after the FBI discovered documents marked classified in the club's storage room, on August 26, 2022, Nauta 'called Employee 5 and said words to the effect of, "someone just wants to make sure Carlos is good." In response, Trump Employee 5 told Nauta that De Oliviera was loyal and that De Oliveira would not do anything to affect his relationship with Trump. That same day, at Nauta's request, Trump Employee 5 confirmed in a Signal chat group with Nauta and [a PAC representative] that De Oliveira was loyal. That same day, Trump called De Oliveira and told De Oliveira that Trump would get De Oliveira an attorney.' 

Butler provided new details about that alleged conversation, which he said happened on a weekend with De Oliveira, a Trump loyalist who is indicted along with the former president, at a Florida casino with family. 

'You know, he takes the call. We’re standing in the food court. I think we went to sit down ... But I know at the end of the conversation when they hung up, Carlos said, "He’s gonna get me an attorney."'