Federal prosecutors working with special counsel Jack Smith have obtained an audio recording of former President Donald Trump acknowledging in July 2021 that he retained sensitive military documents after he left office and understood he could not declassify them, CNN reported Wednesday citing multiple sources. The existence and substance of the recording were confirmed by The New York Times and The Washington Post.
The audio was recorded with Trump's knowledge at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey and reportedly describes a multi-page document on military options for invading Iran that Trump laments he cannot show his guests due to classification restrictions. Trump evidently brought up the document — or possibly waved it in his hands — because he was irritated by a New Yorker report that Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley had convinced Trump in his final days in office not to bomb Iran and potentially start a new war. Investigators have questioned Milley and other witnesses about the episode and Trump's anger toward Milley, CNN reported.
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Smith is investigating whether Trump or his aides criminally obstructed federal efforts to retrieve classified documents Trump improperly kept when his term was over. The focus on the recording indicates he may also be considering other charges against Trump, CNN reports, and the tape provides crucial evidence about Trump's intent and state of mind. Nobody has yet been criminally charged in the investigation, and Trump lawyer James Trusty told CNN on Wednesday that Trump would have still had the authority to declassify documents when he was taking boxes from the White House to Mar-a-Lago.
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