Former President Donald Trump was recorded in the summer of 2021 acknowledging “he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran,” CNN detailed Wednesday in a bombshell report. The tape has been obtained by federal prosecutors who are investigating Trump’s retention of classified documents.
Since the August 2022 raid on his private residence in Florida, in which the FBI seized a large number of classified materials Trump had taken from his time as president, the former president has claimed he did nothing wrong as he can declassify documents as he sees fit, whenever he sees fit.
CNN reported that the tape undercuts “his argument that he declassified everything” as it “indicates Trump understood he retained classified material after leaving the White House, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation.”
Additionally, the tape reportedly includes Trump suggesting “he would like to share the information but he’s aware of limitations on his ability post-presidency to declassify records, two of the sources said.”
Jake Tapper broke the news on CNN and brought in Paula Reid to offer additional details on her reporting. Reid says that “during this time, Trump was in the habit of having his aides record any conversations with journalists, writers or people working on books.”
“Now, sources tell us that on this tape, Trump says that he has a classified Pentagon document describing a possible attack on Iran. We’re also told that you can hear people rustling. It appears that he might be waving something around, though it’s unclear if he’s weaving this document that he’s referring to or if he’s waving something else,” she continued, adding:
(Excerpt) Read more in: Mediaite