Former aide to President Trump testifies before a grand jury in Florida

June 7th, 2023

Former President Donald Trump greets supporters before speaking at the Westside Conservative Breakfast, Thursday, June 1, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Charlie Neibergall / Charlie Neibergall

Taylor Budowich, a former aide to former President Donald Trump who now leads the Super PAC, MAGA Inc., testified before a grand jury in Miami on Wednesday as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s ongoing probe into the handling of classified documents once Trump left office.

“Today, in what can only be described as a bogus and deeply troubling effort to use the power of government to “get” Trump, I fulfilled a legal obligation to testify in front a federal grand jury and I answered every question honestly,” Budowich tweeted.

His comments come amid media reports of a parade of high-profile witnesses testifying over the past few weeks before a grand jury in Florida. An attorney for Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, declined late Tuesday to confirm whether he has been called to testify.

“Without commenting on whether or not Mr. Meadows has testified before the grand jury or in any other proceeding, Mr. Meadows has maintained a commitment to tell the truth where he has a legal obligation to do so,” George Terwilliger, Meadows’ attorney told NPR in a statement.

The apparent ramped up pacing of witness testimony could signal that the special counsel’s probe is nearing a conclusion.

As special counsel, Smith can bring this matter before any federal court. It is unclear why a grand jury has been convened in Florida instead of Washington D.C. where the bulk of efforts related to this matter has traditionally taken place.

The dispute over records at Mar-a-Lago in Florida exploded into public view in August 2022, when FBI agents executed a search warrant at the property while Trump was out of town. The former president tweeted about the search, which set off a weeks-long legal tug of war in Florida and D.C.

Trump has denied any allegations of inappropriate accessing of the classified material. No charges have been brought forth thus far by the special counsel.