Former President Donald Trump has expressed his opposition to CNN’s release of an audio recording it obtained. The recording captures Trump’s conversation with associates at his Bedminster golf club in July 2021 regarding a military document pertaining to Iran. Trump claims that the report vindicates him against the federal charges he is currently facing for mishandling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
In a statement on his Truth Social page, Trump denounced the “Deranged Special Prosecutor,” Jack Smith, and accused him of collaborating with the DOJ and FBI to illegally leak and manipulate the tape and transcript. According to Trump, the recording actually proves his innocence, contrary to the narrative presented by the authorities. He labeled the ongoing investigation as another instance of “ELECTION INTERFERENCE Scam” and referred to the investigators as “cheaters and thugs.”
The released audio contains excerpts from the conversation used by special counsel Jack Smith in his indictment, which accuses Trump of mishandling classified information. Additionally, it includes some commentary that was not included in the indictment itself.
Neither CNN nor Smith’s office or the Department of Justice have disclosed how the network obtained the recording. No official comments have been made regarding the leak.
Reportedly, the tape originated from a July 2021 interview Trump participated in for Mark Meadows’ memoir. Smith’s indictment states that a writer, a publisher, and two members of Trump’s staff were present during the interview and were shown classified information related to a plan of attack on Iran.
At the time of the interview, Trump was allegedly angered by a New Yorker article discussing arguments made by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, against a strike on Iran. Milley had expressed concerns that Trump would escalate the situation.
Smith’s office declined to comment on the audio release when approached by CNN. However, Trump’s campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, released a statement asserting that the tape “provides context proving, once again, that President Trump did nothing wrong at all.”
Trump continued to criticize the indictment and Smith in an emphatic message on Truth Social the following day. He called on someone to explain to Jack Smith, whom he referred to as “deranged” and a Trump-hater, that as the president of the United States, he falls under the Presidential Records Act. Trump argued that Smith’s interpretation of the never-used Espionage Act of 1917 was merely a fantasy. He then shifted the focus onto Joe Biden, accusing him of various crimes, including extorting millions of dollars from foreign countries.
While most of the audio content aligns with the details presented in Smith’s indictment, it also captures the sound of papers being shuffled.
In the recording, Trump mentions having a “big pile of papers” and suggests that it was presented to him by the Defense Department, indicating its classified nature. He acknowledges that he could have declassified it as president but asserts that it remains confidential. When a staffer suggests there is a problem, Trump responds with intrigue.
Within the indictment, there are ellipses in places where the recording reveals Trump and his aide discussing Clinton’s emails and Anthony Weiner, the former aide, whose laptop prompted the CIA to reopen its investigation into Clinton’s handling of classified information prior to the 2016 presidential election.
Last week, during an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, Trump denied having any classified documents with him during the meeting, stating that the papers primarily contained newspaper and magazine articles discussing Iran and other topics.
{Matzav.com}
Trump’s toast!!
With fat free butter?