Ex-Mar-a-Lago Employee “Trump Employee Number 5” Speaks Out: Unwittingly Moving Classified Documents and the Pressure to Hire Trump-Aligned Lawyers
Brian Butler, a former Mar-a-Lago employee affectionately known as “Trump Employee Number 5,” shared his account of unknowingly assisting in the transportation of classified documents at the former President’s private club and the subsequent fallout following a federal search. In an exclusive interview with Kaitlan Collins of News Finder, Butler discussed in detail how he helped move boxes containing classified documents onto Trump’s private plane, unaware of their contents.
This interview offers new insights into Butler’s involvement in the incident two months before the FBI’s search at Mar-a-Lago and a year prior to Trump’s indictment by Special Counsel Jack Smith for alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Butler revealed that he has not spoken to Carlos De Oliveira, another Trump co-defendant, since the indictment. He also shared his reasons for opposing Trump’s potential re-election to the presidency.
Background: In June 2022, Butler helped Walt Nauta, Trump’s body man and another co-defendant in the case, move boxes from Mar-a-Lago to the airport as part of Trump’s preparations for departing to his New Jersey resort. At the same time, federal investigators were on the property discussing the return of classified material in Trump’s possession.
Butler was unaware that he was helping move classified documents until after the fact, noting that “the former president was walking towards the living room, like he was gonna enter the living room. He was with Secret Service. I remember he said hi to me. ‘Hi, Brian.’ ‘Hi Mr. Trump,’ or ‘President Trump.’ And then he went in and talked to them.”
Further developments: In July 2023, De Oliveira was added as a co-defendant in the case when he was charged with attempting to delete security camera footage at Mar-a-Lago after receiving a subpoena for it. Prosecutors allege that De Oliveira lied to the FBI about his knowledge of the boxes containing classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
Butler recalled a conversation with De Oliveira where he tried to include him among those moving the boxes, but Butler emphasized that he had no idea what was in the boxes he helped transport.
Pressure to Hire Trump-Aligned Lawyers: After the FBI contacted Butler, there was an implicit pressure from De Oliveira for him to hire a Trump-aligned attorney instead of an independent one. This is reminiscent of other former Trump aides’ experiences, such as Cassidy Hutchinson. However, Butler had already been in touch with a lawyer he knew separately and was prepared to hire them instead of one paid for by Trump’s political action committee.
Despite working for Trump for two decades, Butler now views him unfavorably and does not believe he should be running for president again. He chose to speak out about his experience at Mar-a-Lago because he believes voters deserve the truth and that Trump’s claims of doing nothing wrong were “all bogus.”
“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,” Butler 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.”
