In a major development, former US President Donald Trump has admitted that he retained “secret” military information that he had not made public. According to the transcript of the audio recording obtained by CNN, the former president acknowledged this during a meeting in 2021.
“As president, I could have declassified, but now I can’t,” Trump says, according to the transcript.
According to the transcript, part of the meeting is where Trump is discussing a classified Pentagon document about attacking Iran. In the audio recording, which CNN previously reported was obtained by prosecutors, Trump says he did not declassify the document he is referencing, according to the transcript.
classified documents
The indictment stems from a months-long investigation into whether Trump broke the law by holding hundreds of classified documents at his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago, and whether Trump attempted to hinder the government’s efforts to recover the records. Took steps for
Prosecutors have said that Trump took about 300 classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House, including some 100 that were seized by the FBI in a search of the house last August, which was part of a Justice Department investigation. underlines the seriousness of Trump has repeatedly insisted that he was entitled to keep classified documents when he left the White House, and has also claimed without evidence that he declassified them.
Court records unsealed last year show that federal investigators believed they had probable cause that several crimes were committed, including withholding national defense information, destroying government records and obstruction. pouring was included. Since then, the Justice Department has collected additional evidence and obtained grand jury testimony from people close to Trump, including his own attorneys. The laws governing classified records and interceptions are felonies that can lead to years in prison in the event of a conviction.