In a dramatic turn of events on Monday night, Donald Trump seized the opportunity to claim exoneration as new recordings surfaced, allegedly showcasing him discussing classified military information on potential action in Iran. The former president dismissed the special counsel, Jack Smith, as “deranged,” further fueling the controversy surrounding the video.
CNN aired a two-minute clip of a 2021 meeting held in Bedminster, New Jersey, where Trump can be seen engaging in a conversation about sensitive documents that he did not declassify before leaving office but took with him nonetheless.
The significance of this exchange cannot be understated, particularly in relation to Trump’s indictment by special counsel Jack Smith. It appears that Trump alludes to possessing a secretive, classified Pentagon memo outlining plans for a strike on Iran, referring to it as “these papers” during the conversation.
However, Trump swiftly declared that the recording had been manipulated to serve his exoneration, without providing any specific reasoning behind his claim. Taking to Truth Social, he accused the “Deranged Special Prosecutor, Jack Smith,” of illegally leaking and distorting the tape and transcript, asserting that it actually exonerated him contrary to popular belief.
In Trump’s eyes, this ongoing saga represents yet another example of foreign interference in our elections, labeling those involved as “liars and criminals.”
It is worth noting that the Justice Department’s indictment against the former president, consisting of 37 counts, did not include any mention of the classified nature revealed in Monday’s recording. Trump, who had previously entered a not guilty plea in court, held a press conference at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey earlier this month.
The interview captured in the recording occurred in July 2021 at Trump’s Bedminster estate and was intended for former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ memoir. The indictment alleges that Trump, along with two of his employees, a writer, and a publisher, were present during the meeting. The prosecution claims that Smith granted unauthorized individuals access to highly classified information pertaining to the forthcoming strike on Iran.
When confronted about the matter on the tape, Trump refers to the discussed content as “highly confidential” and points to the papers as evidence. The indictment cites this conversation as proof that Trump exposed classified information to individuals lacking the appropriate clearance.
Attempting to contradict the revelations now exposed by the audio recording, Trump asserted in a recent interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier that he did not possess any documents during those discussions. He adamantly stated, “There was no document,” despite a visible stack of papers and other materials related to Iran and other topics being present.
Trump clarified that what he had in front of him was not a conventional paper but rather clippings from periodicals and newspapers. His mind seemed preoccupied with an article from The New Yorker detailing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley’s opposition to a strike on Iran due to fears of triggering a full-blown war with the Middle Eastern nation.
Amidst the conversation, Trump appeared to recollect the incident, noting, “He wanted to attack Iran,” and implying that the stack of papers was associated with the topic. Allegedly, someone had handed him the material, cautioning that it was not meant for publication. Trump exclaimed, “The military did this and gave it to me,” emphasizing the secrecy of the document.
While Trump’s remarks in the recording seem to support his claims, it is important to recognize the sensitive and confidential nature of the material discussed. The phrase “Warning: Confidential material ahead” serves as a stark reminder of the gravity surrounding the subject matter.