There are many legal woes on Donald Trump’s docket, and he’s already been indicted on criminal charges and found guilty of defamation and sexual misconduct. But possibly the most damaging to him could be the one involving his hanging onto classified government documents. Surely it won’t help his case that there’s audio of him admitting to taking one such record — and admitting that he knew it wasn’t declassified.
As per CNN, sources have discussed hearing a recording made in the summer of 2021 of a meeting Trump held at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. (That’s the one where his ex-wife Ivana is buried.) During the chat — which was with two people working on the autobiography of his former chief of staff Mark Meadows, who was not present — Trump admitted that he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran.
The recording — which has not been made public but has been described by multiple sources — was discovered as part of the Justice Department investigation into Trump concerning his mishandling of government records. It has been described as an “important” piece of evidence, and it doesn’t sound so hot for the former president:
The recording indicates Trump understood he retained classified material after leaving the White House, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation. 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, two of the sources said.
At the time, multiple people were making recordings of Trump’s meetings and conversations with journalists and biographers. Evidently on this recording, the sound of paper rustling, though it’s not clear if Trump was waving around the classified document in question.
Trump has repeatedly claimed, falsely, that as president he could simply declassify documents with his mind, instead of following official processes. That the recording allegedly features him admitting said document wasn’t yet declassified undercuts that argument.
Anyway, add this recording to the tall pile featuring him incriminating himself along with the call about Ukraine and the Access Hollywood one that failed to end his political career. Given that people were recording his meetings two years back, there may be more en route.
(Via CNN)