During his campaign stop in New Hampshire on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump referred to the leaked audio recording in which he discussed covert strategies for an attack on Iran after leaving office as “another hoax.”
Speaking to Fox News Digital, the 77-year-old Trump dismissed the disclosure of the audio as election interference and expressed his disdain for leaks, considering them shameful.
CNN published the recording on Monday, after it had been circulating in paraphrased form for several weeks. The federal charges against Trump include 37 counts related to the alleged hoarding of sensitive material, and the tape is seen as crucial evidence in the case.
The audio, recorded in July 2021, captures Trump discussing his presidency with individuals connected to former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ memoir. Trump implies in the recording that General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was the source of the discussed plans. Reports suggest that Trump was displeased to learn that Milley claimed in The New Yorker to have prevented an attack on Iran during Trump’s final weeks in office.
In a segment of the audio recording, Trump can be heard saying, “Isn’t it amazing? I’m buried behind a mountain of paperwork, and this just came up. Look. Yes, that was him. This is off the record, but they gave it to me anyhow. Yes, that was him. It was just him and the Defense Department.” Trump also mentioned that he could have released the information while in office but couldn’t do so now.
The two individuals believed to be on the recording are Kate Hartson and Louise Burke, the founders of the conservative publishing house All Season Press. All Season Press published Meadows’ book, “The Chief’s Chief,” which was rumored to have assisted federal authorities in their investigation of classified documents.
Trump reiterated that he possessed only newspaper clippings and had no classified documents. When asked about the possibility of additional recordings, he expressed confidence in his innocence, stating, “I don’t do things wrong; I do things right.”
Trump addressed the release of the audio before speaking at the annual fundraiser banquet for the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women in Concord. The federal government has seized secret files from the Trump administration, including those marked “Top Secret.” Trump is accused of attempting to undermine the investigation, which is why the indictment includes an obstruction charge. Earlier this month, Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges, making him the first sitting or former president to face federal charges. He is currently leading in the Republican primary for president.