An audio recording referenced in the federal indictment of Donald Trump featured the former president discussing a document about Iran that he described as “highly confidential” and admitted he could not declassify because he’d left office.
“This is secret information,” Trump said in the audio clip.
“See, as president I could have declassified it,” Trump added. “Now I can’t.”
The recording, which first aired Monday evening on CNN, is a crucial piece of evidence in the Department of Justice’s case against the former president over his alleged mishandling of classified documents. The audio clip suggests that the former president knowingly possessed government secrets after leaving the White House and that they remained classified after the end of his presidency.
Parts of the two-minute recording were previously transcribed by the DOJ and cited in Trump’s federal indictment. The former president is facing 37 counts in federal court, including charges of willful retention of national defense information under the Espionage Act. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in Miami federal court on June 13.
The trial is set to begin as early as Aug. 14 in Miami.
What does the recording mean for Trump?
The audio recording allows listeners to hear Trump on tape discussing a “highly confidential” and “secret” document in his possession, but it does not reveal anything new about the Department of Justice’s case against the former president.
Both federal prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers have been aware of this recording since before Trump’s indictment earlier this month. The most crucial statements by the former president were already made public earlier this month when the Department of Justice unsealed its indictment.
While the leak of the audio recording does not create any additional legal headaches for the former president, it is still unclear what impact the recording might have on voters as Trump runs for the Republican presidential nomination.
What document is Trump discussing?
In the audio recording, Trump appears to show off a “secret” document about Iran that was prepared for him by the Defense Department and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark A. Milley.
Trump appeared to show off the document to disprove claims reportedly made by Milley that the former president considered manufacturing an armed conflict with Iran during the period between the end of the 2020 election and President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Trump’s lawyers, however, have told the Department of Justice that they can’t find the classified document about Iran that is referenced by Trump in the audio recording. Some have even cast doubt on whether the document exists at all or if Trump might have misidentified the document in the recording.
What is Trump saying?
After the audio recording leaked, Trump took to his social media platform to claim the tape proves his innocence and criticize special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading two Department of Justice investigations into the former president.
“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 on Truth Social.
Trump, however, did not provide any explanation for how the audio recording exonerates him from his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
How to listen to the Trump tape?
The tape was first obtained by CNN and aired publicly Monday evening. Since then, the New York Times and the Washington Post have also published the audio recording.
Since it first aired on CNN, the tape has also been widely shared on Twitter and other social media platforms.
