CNN aired a recording of former President Donald Trump allegedly showing off and talking about “highly confidential” and “secret” documents about Iran from his time in the White House on Monday.
On Anderson Cooper 360, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper announced:
We have obtained what is expected to be a central piece of the government’s case against Donald Trump, the actual audio recording of the former president talking as if he’s showing a highly classified document on US war plans against Iran with people not cleared to even know it exists, let alone what’s in it …
The recording was made two summers ago, July 2021 at the former president’s club in Bedminster, New Jersey. You will clearly hear the former president, as he is speaking to several people. According to the special council’s indictment, they include a writer working on Mark Meadows’ memoir, the publisher, and two of Trump’s staff members. The president was aware he was being recorded. It is the first time it is being played publicly.
Cooper then played the recording, which showed Trump saying, “With Milley, let me see that. I’ll show you an example. He said that I wanted to attack Iran. Isn’t it amazing? I have a big pile of papers, this thing just came up. Look.”
As the sound of papers shuffling could be heard, Trump continued, “This was him. They presented me this. This is off the record, but they presented me this. This was him. This was the Defense Department and him.”
Telling his guests that the documents contained “all sorts of stuff, pages long, look,” Trump said, “This totally wins my case, you know. Except it is, like, highly confidential, secret.”
“This is secret information. But look, look at this,” he said, as laughter could be heard in the background.
A woman identified by CNN as one of Trump’s staffers then said, “Hillary would print that out all the time, you know,” to which Trump replied, “No, she’d send it to Anthony Weiner. The pervert.”
Trump continued, “These are the papers. This was done by the military and given to me,” before adding, “See, as president I could have declassified it. Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.”
The audio concluded with Trump saying, “Hey, bring some, uh, bring some Cokes in please.”
Trump pleaded not guilty this month to 37 counts related to his retention of government documents, including wilful retention of national defense information and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Watch above via CNN.
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