” Here are the documents. In a two-minute audio recording revealed by CNN on the night of Monday to Tuesday, June 27, former United States President Donald Trump admits to having classified documents.
The recording was broadcast during the Anderson Cooper 360° show on the American channel. The conversation contained in this audio file took place in July 2021 between Donald Trump and his aides while he was still President of the United States. The ex-president seems to indicate that he has a confidential document of an attack prepared by the Pentagon against Iran.
The Trump audio: “See as president I could have declassified it. Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.” “Now we have a problem,” a staffer responds. pic.twitter.com/ftNqOTnfZn
The billionaire refers to “highly confidential” documents, showing them to others in the room. He explains that these papers, still classified, were “made by the military” and given to him. He confirms that the documents are “secret information” and adds: “As president, I could have declassified them, now I can’t, you know. At his side, his close team members are alarmed: “Now we have a problem. To which Trump replies, “Isn’t that interesting?” »
According to CNN, these statements were recorded in July 2021 during an interview conducted as part of the writing of the Memoirs of Mark Meadows, the former chief of staff to the president. This recording provides new evidence in the indictment of Donald Trump for mishandling classified information. By August 2022, FBI investigators had found nearly 13,000 confidential documents on his Florida property.
On June 18, he defended himself by explaining that his personal effects had been mixed with government documents during his rapid departure from the White House.
An ongoing investigation accuses him of having endangered the security of the United States. Thirty-seven charges are brought against him and a trial is to be held on August 14, in which Donald Trump has already pleaded not guilty.
On Tuesday, in response to CNN’s audio leak, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement that “the audio recording provides context that proves, once again, that the President Trump did nothing wrong.”