Recording puts Trump in hot water
Former US President Donald Trump has always claimed that government documents at his Florida estate were not classified as secret. However, recordings released by CNN could undermine that argument.
As Trump sits with a few trusted individuals, the mood is relaxed as he apparently shows them several documents and urges them to “take a look.” The two-minute recording from 2021 packs a punch.
In addition to some ridicule of political opponents, he also says, “As president, I could have released them. Now I can’t,” about the documents discussed in the meeting with those present.
“There was nothing to release”
But what was the reason for this chat about state secrets? “The motivation may have been to show off. He said to the others, ‘You didn’t believe me before, but you do now,'” former prosecutor Laura Coates explained on CNN, which made the recording public.
It was probably part of a larger discussion about why he had withheld some classified documents. “Above all, it undermines his previous claims.”
Last year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and seized many classified documents from his time in office, some with the highest level of secrecy. Earlier this month, Trump was charged for intentionally retaining and not returning sensitive documents, despite being urged to do so.
However, he repeatedly denies it, for example, in an interview on Fox News last week. “There were no documents, just a big pile of papers and everything, including about Iran,” he said. “I didn’t have any documents. There was nothing to release. They were magazine reports and newspaper articles.”
“It doesn’t get more confidential”
The existence of the recording was known. A transcript is part of the indictment against Trump. With its publication now, however, everyone can form their own opinion of Trump’s handling of classified information, former prosecutor Harry Litman said on CNN.
“This recording was crucial to the search warrant against Trump. There were doubters in the authorities, but this recording convinced them, and if you listen, you understand why,” he explained. Trump discussed an alleged plan by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on how to attack Iran. “It has explosive power, it can’t get any more confidential than this.”
A spokesperson for Trump called the recording yet another Democratic and Justice Department fraud, according to US media.