Trump captured on tape talking about classified documents: What did he say?

Ashley Nash
·2 min read
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Former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he departs after speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, Saturday, March 4, 2023, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. On May 31, 2023, CNN reported that the DOJ has obtained a recording of the former president discussing the classified documents he had held onto after he had left the White House
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On Wednesday, CNN reported that the U.S. Justice Department obtained recordings of former President Donald Trump disclosing that he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran, even after he had left the White House.

What was discussed? “The recording indicates Trump understood he retained classified material after leaving the White House. ... On the recording, Trump’s comments suggest he would like to share the information but he’s aware of limitations on his ability post-presidency to declassify records,” CNN stated.

  • CNN — which first broke the news— said that it obtained the information from “multiple sources familiar with the investigation,” but has not yet listened to the recording itself.

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Details: Trump’s statements were recorded in July 2021 at his golf club in New Jersey, where people were gathered to assist the former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, write a memoir, per Politico. The New York Times reported that gatherings such as these were routinely taped to assist in the writing process.

  • The Associated Press said that Trump’s comments “would seem to undercut” his claims that he declassified the documents that were found at his home in Mar-a-Lago last year. “The recording could also be a key aid for prosecutors looking to prove Trump knew his ability to process classified documents was limited.”

Trump’s team responds: A spokesperson for Trump reacted to the incident in a statement provided to Politico.

  • “Leaks from radical partisans behind this political persecution are designed to inflame tensions and continue the media’s harassment of President Trump and his supporters,” the spokesperson said. “The DOJ’s continued interference in the presidential election is shameful and this meritless investigation should cease wasting the American taxpayer’s money on Democrat political objectives.”

The bigger picture: The former president is currently under federal investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents that were found in his Florida home last year. The investigation has been said to be nearing an end, and “could result in charges,” BBC reported.

  • CNN predicts that this evidence is likely to have little effect on Trump’s candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.