Donald Trump has blamed Special Counsel Jack Smith, the Department of Justice and the FBI after CNN released audio which purports to show the former president discussing classified documents in his possession, in 2021.
In the clip, broadcast on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 on Monday, Trump appears to brag about having "highly confidential" papers, and admits he doesn't have the power to declassify them.
Trump pleaded not guilty in a Miami courtroom this month to 37 counts linked to his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Despite his arrest, polling indicates Trump remains the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, meaning the former president's legal battles could play a big role in who occupies the White House from January 2025.
The newly released recording features Trump speaking with a staff member and a writer who was helping Mark Meadows, his former chief of staff, work on a memoir. The former president knew the meeting, held at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, was being recorded, according to CNN.
During the audio clip, whilst referring to Pentagon attack plans, Trump comments: "These are the papers. This was done by the military and given to me.
"See as president I could have declassified it. Now I can't, you know, but this is still a secret."
Responding to the leak on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "The Deranged Special Prosecutor, Jack Smith, working in conjunction with the DOJ & FBI, illegally leaked and 'spun' a tape and transcript of me which is actually an exoneration, rather than what they would have you believe. This continuing Witch Hunt is another ELECTION INTERFERENCE Scam. They are cheaters and thugs!"
The Republican frontrunner didn't provide any evidence that Smith, the Department of Justice or the FBI played any role in the audio being published. CNN reports the audio recording is one of two cases in which Trump allegedly shared classified documents with others who lacked security clearance, according to the indictment.
Trump later added: "COULD SOMEBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN TO THE DERANGED, TRUMP HATING JACK SMITH, HIS FAMILY, AND HIS FRIENDS, THAT AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, I COME UNDER THE PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT, AS AFFIRMED BY THE CLINTON SOCKS CASE, NOT BY THIS PSYCHOS' FANTASY OF THE NEVER USED BEFORE ESPIONAGE ACT OF 1917.'SMITH' SHOULD BE LOOKING AT CROOKED JOE BIDDEN AND ALL OF THE CRIMES THAT HE HAS PERPETRATED ON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, INCLUDING THE MILLIONS & MILLIONS OF DOLLARS HE EXTORTED FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES!"
It is unclear why he put Smith inside quotation marks, and he didn't provide any evidence to support his claim Biden had "extorted" millions of dollars from other countries.
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Justice for comment via its official press contact form.
In an emailed statement sent to Newsweek, a Trump campaign spokesperson insisted the former president wasn't guilty of any wrongdoing.
"The audio tape provides context proving, once again, that President Trump did nothing wrong at all.
"The President is speaking rhetorically and also quite humorously... The media and the Trump-haters once again were all too willing to take the bait, falling for another Democrat-DOJ hoax, hook, line, and sinker," the spokesperson said.
Trump's remarks in the recording appear to contradict his previous assertion that he'd declassified the confidential documents prior to leaving the White House.
Update 6/27/23, 7:47 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a new Truth Social post by Donald Trump.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
