Former US President Donald Trump admitted to having at least one classified document in his possession in 2021, according to an audio recording released this Monday by various US media.
(Also: case against Trump: judge refuses to block access to list of potential witnesses)
In the audio, first broadcast by CNN, the former president (2017-2021) can be heard talking to several people, including members of his team, about a classified document containing military information.
In the tape, which is just over two minutes long, the Republican can be heard saying he could declassify the documents while in the White House, but didn’t.
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“I could have declassified them when I was president, but now I can’t”Trump also points out that the document he attributed to the Ministry of Defense refers to Iran.
The recording took place at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on July 21, and its contents were included in the indictment filed by the Justice Department in late March. However, it was made public for the first time.
The leak comes just days after Jack Smith, the special prosecutor in the case of classified documents found at Trump’s residence, asked to adjourn the case until December.
In a court document delivered last Friday night, the US government requested an extension, arguing that the case “related to confidential information, so the defense would need to obtain the necessary security clearances.”
On Tuesday, the trial’s presiding judge ordered the jury trial to begin August 14 in Fort Pierce, 208 kilometers from Miami.
Trump was charged with 37 federal crimes in Miami courts for misusing official documents.
Of the 37 charges that Trump pleaded not guilty to, 31 are for knowingly withholding documents related to US defense. But he is also accused of obstructing justice and “corruptly” concealing documents or records.
(Read: US judge bans Trump’s defense from sharing evidence in document case)
Some of these crimes are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to CNN, there is a moment in the tape where Trump appears to indicate he has it. A classified Pentagon document allegedly planning to attack Iran.
“These are the documents”, Trump says in the audio recording, in a meeting
the people who will be on your team.
In the two-minute audio recording, former President Trump and his aides joked about Hillary Clinton’s emails after the former president claimed the document contained them. “secret information”.
(Also: Colombian judges holding Donald Trump’s legal troubles in their hands)
“Hillary always printed out her private emails,” one Trump employee told CNN.
That source also noted that Trump claimed “These are bad, sick people”, while an aide claimed there was a “coup” against Trump.
With information from EFE
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