The DOJ apparently has a recording of the former president saying he knew he couldn’t simply declassify documents after he left the White House.
Donald Trump’s statement that he had declassified the large amount of government documents he brought to Mar-a-Lago was questionable from the start. Well, CNN reported on Wednesday that federal prosecutors overseeing the documents probe have obtained a recording of the former president admitting he kept a classified document containing information about a proposed attack plan against Iran.
The meeting in question took place in July 2021 at Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. The former president met with biographers of his former chief of staff Mark Meadows, who was not present, and members of his own staff. Several people who participated in the conversation did not have security clearance.
Several sources who described the recording to CNN say the president indicated that while he wished he could describe the contents of a document to those in attendance, he knew he had retained classified material and could not declassify the documents after their release. departure from the presidency.
Tapper: Sources say federal prosecutors obtained an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting where the former president acknowledges he kept a classified Pentagon document about a possible attack on Iran… pic.twitter.com/pF4u88f2mW
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 31, 2023
According to The Guardian, which confirmed the existence of the recording, the document Trump is referring to was classified as “SECRET” a high level of classification given to the materials “the unauthorized disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to cause serious harm to national security.”
Trump’s team responded a statement. “Leaks from radical supporters behind this political persecution are designed to inflame tensions and continue the media’s harassment of President Trump and his supporters,” it said. “It’s further proof that when it comes to President Trump, there is absolutely no depth they won’t sink to as they pursue their witch hunt. The DOJ’s continued interference in the presidential election is disgraceful and this investigation without merit should stop wasting American taxpayer money on Democratic political goals.”
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Through multiple voluntary surrenders and an FBI search, federal authorities have recovered more than 300 classified documents from Mar-a-Lago since Trump left office. In September last year, Trump claimed the federal government had no case against him because as president he could declassify documents just by “saying” or “thinking about it.” This is obviously not the case.
The new tape will likely be a key component in special counsel Jack Smith’s case against the former president. As Rolling Stone previously reported, Trump’s own lawyers have seen the writing on the wall and have told the former president to prepare for an impeachment.
