Trump Recorded Conversation About Classified Document He Kept: CNN

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Federal prosecutors have obtained audio of Trump admitting he was in possession of classified material after leaving office, CNN reported. The audio indicates that Trump holds information about a potential attack on Iran. A recent report said that special counsel Jack Smith is close to deciding whether to file charges against Trump. Loading Something is loading.

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Federal prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of former President Donald Trump acknowledging that he kept classified documents after his time in the White House, according to CNN.

Reporters for CNN did not listen to the recording, but the outlet cited multiple sources who said it showed that Trump deliberately withheld confidential information beyond his time as president. The classified documents detail “potential attacks on Iran,” according to CNN’s sources.

The Department of Justice’s investigation into Trump’s mishandling of public documents began in August 2022, when FBI agents raided Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home in Florida to discover a trove of documents, many of which are classified.

The former president has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and insisted he could hold onto sensitive documents from his time in office because the presidency gave him the power to “automatically” declassify information.

In a statement shared with Insider, a spokesperson for Trump said: “Leaks from the radical partisans behind this political prosecution are designed to inflame tensions and continue the media’s harassment of the President Trump and his supporters.”

“This is further proof that when it comes to President Trump, there is absolutely no depth that they will not sink as they pursue their witch hunts,” the spokesperson said. “The DOJ’s continued meddling in the presidential election is disgraceful and this frivolous investigation must stop the wasting of American taxpayer money on dEmocrat political causes.”

A source told CNN that the discussion about the classified document was part of a longer meeting that took place in July 2021 at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The meeting has become a focal point in the federal investigation by special counsel Jack Smith, according to the outlet, and federal investigators have already questioned high-level witnesses about the Iran document before a federal that grand jury.

Sources told the outlet that many attendees at the July meeting would not have the necessary security clearance to be privy to discussions about classified material.

The audio recording includes comments by Trump discussing his desire to publicly share information about a potential Iranian attack, but acknowledging that he could not declassify the information at that point because he is no longer president, according to to CNN sources.

A recent report in the Wall Street Journal stated that Smith is nearing the end of his testimony and evidence-gathering phase on Trump’s handling of classified documents and will soon decide whether or not to file criminal charges against 45th president.

Shortly after the Wall Street Journal report, Trump’s lawyers sent US Attorney General Merrick Garland a letter requesting a meeting to discuss Smith’s investigation.

Evidence suggesting the former president was deliberately discussing his ownership of classified documents after his presidency could add to Trump’s long list of legal troubles as he makes another bid for the presidency.

May 31, 2023: This story was updated to include a statement from a Trump spokesperson.

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