ALBAWABA - Former U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly been recorded stating that he retained classified military information even after leaving office, a transcript of the audio recording was obtained by CNN.
The leaked recording, which is said to originate from a 2021 meeting, allegedly captures Trump acknowledging his ability as president to declassify information. However, he mentioned being unable to do so once he had left the position.
The recording reportedly involves discussions about a classified Pentagon document concerning a potential attack on Iran. It remains uncertain which charges, out of the seven Trump currently faces in an investigation related to mishandling about 100 classified materials, may pertain to the leaked meeting.
"As president, I could have declassified, but now I can’t," Trump was heard saying, according to the transcript, CNN maintained.
The audio recording sheds light on Trump's awareness of the significance of classified documents he possessed following his tenure in the White House.
According to American media outlets, two lawyers have recently resigned from Donald Trump's legal team following the allegations against him. These resignations have prompted Trump to make changes to his legal representation, seeking new attorneys to handle his legal affairs.
Trump now said he assigned new legal team to defend him in his upcoming trial over classified documents found in his Mar-a-Lago residency in Florida by FBI agents. Thousands of documents were caught in Trump's place; 100 of which were defined as classified documents, CNN said.
