Trump was caught on a recording aired by CNN discussing classified documents
US media has acquired an audio recording revealing that Donald Trump acknowledges retaining a classified document after his tenure in the White House. The recording captures the former president sorting through papers and stating, "This is highly confidential."
The BBC has not confirmed the authenticity of the recording independently. Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to federal charges related to mishandling sensitive files.
CNN was the first news outlet to release a roughly two-minute video clip, which they claim is from a July 2021 interview with former President Donald Trump. The interview was conducted by individuals involved in the writing of his former chief of staff Mark Meadows' memoir.
In the clip, Trump can be heard mentioning "these are the papers" and referring to a document he considers "highly confidential." It is believed to be an audio recording mentioned in the indictment of the former president by federal prosecutors.
According to the charges, Trump allegedly showed classified documents to individuals without proper security clearance on two occasions. One of these instances took place in July 2021 at his golf club in New Jersey, where he shared the documents with a writer and two staff members.
Trump is currently facing 37 counts related to unlawfully retaining classified documents and obstructing the government's attempts to recover them. He has maintained his innocence and claimed that all the documents he took from the White House were declassified.
In the released exchange, made public by CNN and the Washington Post, Trump can be heard discussing a document that he suggests pertains to a potential attack on Iran. At the beginning of the clip, he exclaims, "He said that I wanted to attack Iran. Isn't it amazing?"
He further explains, "I have a big pile of papers, this thing just came up. Look," emphasizing that as president, he could have declassified it, but it still remains secret.
During a recent interview with Fox News, Trump denied providing secret documents to unauthorized individuals, claiming that there was no specific document and that the papers he possessed discussed various topics, including Iran.
