Topline
Former President Donald Trump admitted on tape he held on to a “highly confidential” military document after leaving office and acknowledged he did not have the authority to declassify it—contradicting his primary defense that he declassified the records he took with him, CNN reported, hours after Trump said he was indicted by the Justice Department for mishandling classified documents.
Former President Donald Trump greets supporters at a Team Trump volunteer leadership training event … [+]
Key Facts
Trump, discussing a document that details the possibility of a U.S. military attack on Iran, described the record as “highly confidential . . . secret information,” CNN reported, citing sources who said the recording captures the sound of paper rustling.
Trump also admitted “as president, I could have declassified, but now I can’t,” a statement that defies his previous public declarations that he had declassified the files he took after leaving office.
Trump made the admission in a 2021 meeting at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club with his aides and two people working on an autobiography for former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Trump alleged the document shows U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley wanted to attack Iran, but blamed Trump for wanting to do so: “this wasn’t done by me, this was him,” he reportedly said.
The document was obtained by Justice Department prosecutors who indicted Trump on seven counts related to his mishandling of government materials, multiple outlets reported Thursday, after Trump announced on Truth Social he had been indicted.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/06/09/trump-admits-taking-secret-document-about-iran-attack-without-declassifying-it-in-audio-recording-report-says/