DOJ Has Recording Of Trump Admitting He Kept Classified Docs, Report Says

Topline

Former President Donald Trump acknowledged in a 2021 audio recording that he kept a confidential military document after his presidency, CNN reported Wednesday—the latest piece of evidence obtained by prosecutors as a probe into Trump’s handling of classified government records reportedly starts to wrap up.

Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower on May 31, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by James … [+] Devaney/GC Images)

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Key Facts

In a recording from a mid-2021 meeting, Trump mentioned a document related to a possible Iran strike, according to CNN, which said it had not listened to the recording but multiple unnamed sources described it to the network.

Trump reportedly suggested during the recorded meeting—which took place at his New Jersey golf club alongside people who lacked security clearances—he would like to have shared the classified information but knew he could no longer declassify records.

One source told CNN the discussion within the recording was part of a longer meeting and another said the recording’s relevant portion is about two minutes long.

The recording could undermine claims made by Trump last year that he had declassified the federal documents found at his Florida home during an FBI search, and that he could declassify government records “even by thinking about it.”

Key Background

The former president’s Mar-a-Lago home was searched by the FBI last August, leading agents to seize classified records—a move that allegedly came after Trump held onto documents after leaving office and failed to return them in accordance with a subpoena. Federal prosecutors are reportedly looking into whether Trump and his staff mishandled classified records and obstructed the federal investigation. Special counsel Jack Smith was appointed to oversee criminal investigations for Trump last November, after he entered the 2024 presidential race. The Wall Street Journal reported last week Smith has nearly completed his probe, interviewing nearly every Mar-a-Lago employee about Trump’s intentions with the documents.

Tangent

Trump has been subject to a litany of lawsuits and government investigations following the end of his presidency in 2021. In April, Trump became the first former president to face criminal charges, after Manhattan prosecutors charged him with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a hush money case involving pornstar Stormy Daniels. Smith is also investigating Trump’s attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the lead-up to the January 6 riot, and a prosecutor in Atlanta is looking into Trump’s push to reverse his loss in Georgia. Meanwhile, a New York civil court jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation earlier this month, ordering him to pay about $5 million to writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of assaulting her in the 1990s.