EXCLUSIVE: Trump captured on tape talking about classified document he kept after leaving the White House

CNN
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Federal prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of a summer season 2021 assembly through which former President Donald Trump acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a possible assault on Iran, a number of sources advised CNN, undercutting his argument that he declassified all the things.

The recording signifies Trump understood he retained classified materials after leaving the White House, in response to a number of sources accustomed to the investigation. On the recording, Trump’s feedback counsel he wish to share the data however he’s conscious of limitations on his potential post-presidency to declassify information, two of the sources mentioned.

CNN has not listened to the recording, however a number of sources described it. One supply mentioned the related portion on the Iran document is about two minutes lengthy, and one other supply mentioned the dialogue is a small a part of a for much longer assembly.

Special counsel Jack Smith, who’s main the Justice Department investigation into Trump, has targeted on the assembly as a part of the prison investigation into Trump’s dealing with of nationwide safety secrets and techniques. Sources describe the recording as an “important” piece of proof in a attainable case towards Trump, who has repeatedly asserted he may retain presidential information and “automatically” declassify paperwork.

Prosecutors have requested witnesses about the recording and the document earlier than a federal grand jury. The episode has generated sufficient curiosity for investigators to have questioned Gen. Mark Milley, certainly one of the highest-ranking Trump-era nationwide safety officers, about the incident.

The July 2021 assembly was held at Trump’s golf membership in Bedminster, New Jersey, with two individuals working on the autobiography of Trump’s former chief of workers Mark Meadows in addition to aides employed by the former president, together with communications specialist Margo Martin. The attendees, sources mentioned, didn’t have safety clearances that may permit them entry to classified data. Meadows didn’t attend the assembly, sources mentioned.

Meadows’ autobiography contains an account of what seems to be the identical assembly, throughout which Trump “recalls a four-page report typed up by (Trump’s former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) Mark Milley himself. It contained the general’s own plan to attack Iran, deploying massive numbers of troops, something he urged President Trump to do more than once during his presidency.”

The document Trump references was not produced by Milley, CNN was advised.

Investigators have questioned Milley about the episode in latest months, making him certainly one of the highest-ranking nationwide safety officers from Trump’s administration to fulfill with the particular counsel’s workforce. Milley’s spokesman Dave Butler declined to remark to CNN.

The revelation that the former president and commander-in-chief has been captured on tape discussing a classified document may elevate his authorized publicity as he continues his third bid for the White House.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing. CNN has reached out to a lawyer and spokesman for the former president.

When requested at a CNN city corridor this month if he confirmed classified paperwork he kept after the presidency to anybody, Trump answered: “Not really. I would have the right to. By the way, they were declassified after.”

A lawyer for Meadows declined to remark. A lawyer for Martin declined to remark.

Smith’s investigation has proven indicators of nearing its finish, although it hasn’t but resulted in any prison prices. A spokesman for the particular counsel’s workplace declined to remark for this story.

The recording that’s now in the fingers of prosecutors reveals they aren’t solely taking a look at Trump’s actions relating to classified paperwork recovered from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, but in addition at what occurred at Bedminster a 12 months earlier.

The assembly through which Trump mentioned the Iran document with others occurred shortly after The New Yorker published a story by Susan Glasser detailing how, in the last days of Trump’s presidency, Milley instructed the Joint Chiefs to make sure Trump issued no unlawful orders and that he learn if there was any concern. The story infuriated Trump.

Glasser reported that in the months following the election, Milley repeatedly argued towards putting Iran and was involved Trump “might set in motion a full-scale conflict that was not justified.” Milley and others talked Trump out of taking such a drastic motion, in response to the New Yorker story.

On the recording and in response to the story, Trump brings up the document, which he says got here from Milley. Trump advised these in the room that if he may present it to individuals, it will undermine what Milley was saying, the sources mentioned. One supply says Trump refers to the document as whether it is in entrance of him.

Several sources say the recording captures the sound of paper rustling, as if Trump was waving the document round, although isn’t clear if it was the precise Iran document. There’s additionally laughter in the room that’s captured on the recording.

The assembly occurred effectively earlier than Trump’s workforce shipped 15 bins of presidential information and classified paperwork again to the National Archives and Records Administration in January 2022 after months of back-and-forth between his workforce and the information company.

The Justice Department later obtained further paperwork with classified markings from Trump, seizing greater than 100 throughout a search of Mar-a-Lago final August. Trump’s authorized workforce employed individuals to go looking different Trump properties, together with Bedminster, late final 12 months.

Investigators from the particular counsel’s workplace even have requested of their document dealing with and obstruction investigation about different eventualities through which Trump could have proven nationwide safety paperwork, corresponding to maps, to others, sources say. They’ve additionally requested a number of witnesses to share particulars about Trump’s anger towards Milley.

During the summer season of 2021, sources say a number of individuals had been making recordings of Trump as he held conversations with journalists and biographers.

Trump and his attorneys have given a number of totally different, typically conflicting, explanations for why Trump didn’t deliberately retain classified supplies in violation of federal legislation. 

Initially, Trump allies argued he had a “standing declassification order” in order that paperwork faraway from the Oval Office had been instantly declassified.  A number of weeks later, Trump advised Fox News that he may declassify issues “just by thinking about it.”

Earlier this 12 months, Trump’s authorized workforce advised Congress that classified materials was inadvertently packed up at the finish of the administration. Most lately, Trump advised CNN at a city corridor that supplies had been “automatically declassified” when he took them.

However, there’s no indication Trump adopted the legally mandated declassification course of, and his attorneys have prevented saying thus far in courtroom whether or not Trump declassified information he kept.