Federal prosecutors have a tape of Trump admitting he didn’t declassify documents and showing military documents to other people.
Former President Donald Trump acknowledged on tape in a 2021 meeting that he had retained “secret” military information that he had not declassified, according to a transcript of the audio recording obtained by CNN.
“As president, I could have declassified, but now I can’t,” Trump says, according to the transcript.
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The transcript of the audio recording suggests that Trump is showing the document he’s discussing to those in the room. Several sources have told CNN the recording captures the sound of paper rustling, as if Trump was waving the document around, though is not clear if it was the actual Iran document.
“Secret. This is secret information. Look, look at this,” Trump says at one point, according to the transcript. “This was done by the military and given to me.”
The Tape Destroys Trump’s Defense
Whether or not Trump actually had the classified document about a plan to attack Iran is uncertain from the audio transcript, but it is a safe assumption that prosecutors tracked down the other person involved in the conversation to explain what Trump showed them.
The tape proves that Trump knew the process for declassification while also knowing that he did not declassify the documents. The tape is a confession and one of the most substantial pieces of evidence that prosecutors could hope for,
Donald Trump has not offered anything resembling a defense because he is on tape admitting to the crime.
Why he did it remains unknown, but Trump’s motives could have been the same as they have always been ego and vanity.
Trump could end up in federal prison because he wanted to impress people by waving classified information in their faces, which might be one of the dumbest reasons in history why a person ended up with a felony conviction.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
This story originally appeared on Politicususa
