Trump Caught on Tape Admitting He Kept Classified Doc: Report

An audio recording from summer 2021 may debunk Donald Trump’s claim that he declassified all the top secret materials held at Mar-a-Lago, CNN reported. Federal prosecutors now have a recording from a meeting at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, in which the former president admitted he kept a classified Pentagon document detailing a potential attack on Iran, multiple sources told CNN. The recording suggests that Trump understands he can’t declassify documents just “by thinking about it”—a defense he’s repeatedly returned to. In the recording, papers can apparently be heard rustling, and one source said it seemed as if the document was right in front of Trump during the meeting. The 2024 presidential contender has vehemently denied that he shared classified documents with anyone after exiting the White House, while simultaneously claiming he “would have the right to” and that “they were declassified after.” Sources describe the recording and document as “important” pieces of evidence against Trump, and prosecutors have questioned witnesses about them before a grand jury, according to CNN. The network had not listened to the recording at the time of publication.