Exclusive: Trump aide testified he saw Trump "tearing" documents; Meadows also once told him, "Don't come into the room" - CBS News

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Aide testified Trump tore records successful White House

Aide testified Trump tore up records successful White House 02:14

Nick Luna, a erstwhile White House adjutant to President Donald Trump, told the House prime committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 battle connected the Capitol that helium witnessed Trump "tearing" documents, according to audio files of Luna's deposition that were obtained by CBS News.

"Did I ever spot him teardrop up notes? I don't cognize what the documents were but determination [was] tearing," Luna said successful his Mar. 21 grounds earlier the committee.

According to the Presidential Records Act, national instrumentality requires that statesmanlike records are cautiously preserved and past handed implicit to the National Archives.

When asked again by Dan George, the committee's elder investigative counsel, whether Trump tore up immoderate documents, Luna replied, "That's correct."

But Luna said that helium did not callback immoderate details astir documents that mightiness person been destroyed.

Luna, who served arsenic Trump's idiosyncratic adjutant wrong the White House, had bonzer entree to the president during the last weeks of Trump's word and managed Oval Office operations. And helium was 1 of the staffers who was regularly with Trump connected the time of the onslaught connected the Capitol.

The audio files besides uncover that Luna testified that White House main of unit Mark Meadows had instructed him to not participate the country up of a gathering with authorities Republican legislators who wanted to overturn the 2020 statesmanlike election.

"There was 1 lawsuit wherever it would usually beryllium my occupation to spell successful and marque definite that [the] president is comfy successful wherever the concern is," Luna told the committee. "And I remember, specifically, this lawsuit [Meadows] had said, 'Do not, don't travel in, don't travel into the country today."

Luna testified that helium was unsure of wherefore Meadows allegedly told him to enactment retired of the room, and helium could not retrieve erstwhile precisely the White House main of unit told him not to enter. But helium said helium recalled the directive occurred arsenic Meadows was preparing to conscionable with visiting authorities Republican legislators.

Trump had respective documented West Wing meetings with allied authorities Republican lawmakers successful the post-election period, including a Nov. 20, 2020, meeting with Michigan legislators and a Nov. 25, 2020, gathering with Pennsylvania legislators. Both of those sessions included discussions astir whether authorities legislatures could instrumentality ineligible oregon legislative steps to overturn the predetermination results successful those respective states, which were carried by President Joe Biden, according to 2 Trump advisers who were not authorized to talk publicly.

"I conscionable retrieve [Meadows] being astir the office," Luna told the House prime committee. "I don't retrieve if it was the Michigan oregon Pennsylvania. I didn't cognize — I don't retrieve that those were the places. But I bash retrieve him on, connected 1 oregon the different of those being, earlier going into the meeting, successful my office."

When pressed connected the discourse and connected whether it was unusual for Meadows to inquire him to enactment retired of the room, Luna said helium was uncertain of the discourse but noted it was rare.

"It whitethorn person been 1 of 2 oregon 3 times that helium asked maine to bash that," Luna said. "But that's not — I don't cognize if unusual would beryllium the close characterization."

Luna past reiterated, erstwhile asked again, that it was "correct" to reason that it was a "rare occurrence" for him to beryllium asked to enactment retired of the country up of a Trump meeting.

His deposition, which was conducted virtually, was successful effect to a subpoena issued to him by the committee the erstwhile November.

"Nick Luna testified afloat and honestly and doesn't person immoderate further comments," Luna's counsel told CBS News connected Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the House prime committee declined to comment.

In a statement, the Trump run told CBS News, "The January 6th Unselect Committee held amusement trials by Never Trump partisans who are a stain connected this country's history. This Kangaroo tribunal has been thing much than a vanity task that insults Americans' quality and makes a mockery of our democracy."

A lawyer for Meadows could not beryllium reached.

Luna's grounds astir Trump's alleged tearing of documents follows erstwhile reports that Trump ripped up documents. Reporter Maggie Haberman of The New York Times reported earlier this twelvemonth that "on immoderate occasions, Mr. Trump would rip up documents — immoderate with his handwriting connected them — and propulsion the pieces successful a toilet, which occasionally clogged the pipes successful the White House."

While the House prime committee is finishing overmuch of its enactment this week and plans to contented its last study and worldly connected Wednesday, including the merchandise of immoderate of the interrogation transcripts, the Justice Department has besides been investigating Trump and his allies. Those efforts see expansive assemblage investigations into the Capitol onslaught and related attempts to artifact the legislature certification of President Joe Biden's election, arsenic good arsenic Trump's handling of classified records.

The Justice Department has besides appointed a peculiar counsel who volition yet determine whether oregon not Trump should beryllium indicted. The erstwhile president announced past period that helium is moving for the 2024 Republican statesmanlike nomination.

On Monday, the committee recommended the Justice Department prosecute astatine slightest 4 transgression charges against Trump related to his alleged efforts to thwart the transportation of statesmanlike powerfulness – a historical yet mostly symbolic determination that marks the archetypal clip a erstwhile president has been the taxable of a transgression referral by Congress.

For reference, present are the exchanges from the audio files that were played connected "CBS Evening News" connected Dec. 20, 2022.

On Trump's handling of documents

DAN GEORGE: It looks similar it's hard to spot successful here, but you tin spot somewhat of a teardrop conscionable above, starting supra the connection 'out' and past continuing crossed the line. Do you cognize whether the president ever tore up notes erstwhile helium was finished with them?

LUNA: Yes.

GEORGE: Okay. And conscionable to beryllium clear, did the president teardrop up notes erstwhile helium was finished with them?

NICK LUNA: Yes. I mean, astatine times. I don't know. Did I ever spot him teardrop up notes? I don't cognize what the documents were, but determination [was] tearing.

GEORGE: Okay. So — and not asking you to relationship for each azygous enactment oregon portion of insubstantial that crossed the president's table — but you are alert that astatine slightest sometimes the president would teardrop up notes oregon pieces of insubstantial erstwhile helium was done with them. Is that correct?

LUNA: Yes, sir, that's correct.

On an speech with Mark Meadows

NICK LUNA: So, if my representation serves maine correct, determination was the gathering with, I don't adjacent retrieve whether they were from, radical that were from, authorities legislators oregon they were authorities senators oregon thing similar that. And I bash retrieve Mr. Meadows being, um, I don't cognize if helium was successful complaint of it, but I bash retrieve him having a portion successful that. But that's what I'm reasoning about. And successful presumption of like, yeah, that whitethorn person been a speech that I, not a conversation, but a directive that was successful his, you know, in, that I retrieve correctly.

GEORGE: Okay. And what I'm going to do, I'm astir to accidental something, not to suggest anything, but to spot if it shakes thing loose. What we telephone refreshing recollection. But determination was a authorities legislature, a radical from the Pennsylvania authorities legislature, who came down astatine the extremity of November, November 25, aft a proceeding successful Pennsylvania. There were besides authorities legislators who came from Michigan. Speaker Chatfield and Senator Shirkey. Did 1 of those events oregon meetings — does that refresh your recollection astir what you conscionable mentioned with respect to Mr. Meadows and what helium was doing?

LUNA: I definitely, I did not cognize wherever the radical were from and I did not be the meetings and I did not — I wasn't a enactment to that. But I bash remember, um, the, the main having, having a relation in, I don't. I don't know. I mean, I conscionable retrieve him being astir the office. That, and I don't retrieve if it was the Michigan oregon Pennsylvania. I didn't cognize that. I don't retrieve that those were the places. But I bash retrieve him connected a connected 1 oregon the different those being, earlier going into the meeting, successful my office.

DAN GEORGE: You mentioned his role. Do you cognize what his relation was with respect to those meetings oregon coming retired of those meetings?

NICK LUNA: I bash not, sir. No.

DAN GEORGE: Do you retrieve Mr. Meadows saying thing to you astir immoderate of those meetings?

NICK LUNA: I do. Yes sir, I do.

DAN GEORGE: What'd helium say?

NICK LUNA: There was 1 lawsuit wherever it would usually beryllium my occupation to spell successful and marque definite that the President is comfy successful wherever the concern is — if he's sitting successful the seat oregon thing similar that. And I retrieve specifically this lawsuit helium had said, bash not, don't travel in. Don't travel into the country today.

DAN GEORGE: Mr. Meadows said that to you.

NICK LUNA: Correct.

DAN GEORGE: Did helium ever archer you wherefore not to travel into the room?

NICK LUNA: He did not.

DAN GEORGE: Did you deliberation that was odd, conscionable based connected your acquisition moving astatine the White House?

NICK LUNA: I don't know, I mean, determination are truthful galore types of meetings and, you know, classified. Otherwise, it wasn't you know, I don't cognize if it was needfully odd. It would, it whitethorn person been 1 of 2 oregon 3 times that helium asked maine to bash that. But that's not, I don't cognize if I would beryllium the close characterization.

DAN GEORGE: Okay. But that didn't hap precise frequently. It sounds similar it was a uncommon occurrence that you were told not to travel into a gathering similar that.

NICK LUNA: Correct.