Trump Acknowledged Kim Jong Un ‘Love Letters’ Weren’t Declassified In 2020 Interview

Topline

Former President Donald Trump refused to give Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward letters he sent to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un when the journalist asked for them in January 2020, telling Woodward “those are so top secret,” according to the Post, even though he went on to reportedly ship the records to Mar-A-Lago in an alleged violation of the Presidential Records Act.

Key Facts

Trump did give Woodward copies of the letters he received from Kim, but reportedly warned him during a December 2019 interview, “don’t say I gave them to you.”

Woodward dictated the contents of the letters into a tape recorder, but noted there were no markings suggesting they were classified, according to the Post.

The letters between Trump and Kim were reportedly among the records in 15 boxes of documents the National Archives recovered from Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort earlier this year, which the agency said were improperly removed from the White House.

The correspondences between Trump and Kim have commonly become known as “love letters” due to the flattering statements the two sent each other.

It’s not clear if any of the letters were among the 325 classified documents the FBI seized from Mar-A-Lago in an August 8 raid.

Key Background

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in shipping White House records to Mar-A-Lago, claiming he declassified all the documents. But Trump, who told Sean Hannity last month he could declassify records just by “thinking about it,” has provided little evidence to back up his claims. The ex-president has attempted to limit which seized documents the Justice Department can access as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, but he’s had little success so far. Trump scored a win last month when a federal judge appointed an independent “special master” to review whether any of the documents should be shielded from prosecutors due to attorney-client privilege claims. But the Supreme Court shot down his request to grant the special master, Senior U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie, access to review classified records. Dearie has until November 12 to complete his review of the documents.

Crucial Quote

“Where’s the beef? I need some beef,” Dearie told attorneys in a call with prosecutors and Trump’s attorneys Tuesday, suggesting that he’s received too little information from the DOJ to properly determine privilege claims.

What To Watch For

Audio of the conversations between Woodward and Trump will be released next Tuesday as part of a new audiobook called “The Trump Tapes: Bob Woodward’s Twenty Interviews with President Trump.”

Further Reading

New Woodward audiobook shows Trump knew Kim letters were classified (Washington Post)

Judge Sides With Trump, Grants Special Master To Review Mar-A-Lago Documents (Forbes)

Supreme Court Rules Against Trump On Mar-A-Lago Classified Documents (Forbes)

Special master Dearie unhappy with Mar-a-Lago document progress: ‘Where’s the beef? I need some beef’ (CNN)

National Archives Took 15 Boxes Of White House Records From Mar-A-Lago—Which Should Have Never Been There (Forbes)