Audio of a 2021 meeting in New Jersey in which former President Donald Trump can be heard discussing classified information has emerged.
In the tape obtained by CNN, Trump is heard talking in what sounds like a room full of people. Papers can be heard ruffling as he discusses a Department of Defense plan concerning Iran. As papers shuffle, Trump seems to be discussing a paper he is holding, saying, “This is off the record, but they presented me this.”
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“See, as president, I could have declassified it. Now, I can’t. You know?” Trump can be heard saying. “Isn’t that interesting? It’s so cool.”
The recording at hand is referenced on the third page of the indictment of Trump regarding his alleged retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
The indictment describes the other people in the room as a writer, a publisher, and two members of the former president’s staff. It also clarifies that none of the people Trump was talking to had security clearances.
Listen to audio from a 2021 meeting in Bedminster, New Jersey, that CNN has exclusively obtained, revealing former President Donald Trump discussing holding secret documents he did not declassify. https://t.co/yzhq9BzUKc pic.twitter.com/7zV0s3UPP6
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 27, 2023
The charging document references the information on the papers as a “plan of attack” that Trump said was prepared for him by the Pentagon and a senior military official.
“Well, with Milley — let me see that,” Trump can be heard saying on the recording, referring to Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “I’ll show you an example. He said that I wanted to attack Iran — isn’t it amazing? I have a big pile of papers. This thing just came up. Look.”
“This was him. They presented me this. This is off the record, but they presented me this. This was him. This was the Defense Department and him,” the former president continued.
“It is highly confidential. This is secret information,” Trump said.
Trump responded to the leaked audio on his Truth Social platform late Tuesday night.
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“The Deranged Special Prosecutor, Jack Smith, working in conjunction with the DOJ & FBI, illegally leaked and ‘spun’ a tape and transcript of me which is actually an exoneration, rather than what they would have you believe,” Trump wrote.
“This continuing Witch Hunt is another ELECTION INTERFERENCE Scam,” he continued. “They are cheaters and thugs!”
