Trump denies ever showing a classified document to others.

Former President Donald Trump made a surprising statement during an interview on Monday. Despite his claim on an alleged audio tape, he now denies showing classified documents to individuals without security clearances.

Trump, who is currently facing 37 felony charges in the federal investigation into his handling of classified national defense information, stands accused of revealing classified material to a writer during an interview.

The indictment provides the following details:

In July 2021, at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey (“The Bedminster Club”), during an audio-recorded meeting with a writer, a publisher, and two members of his staff, none of whom possessed a security clearance, [Trump] showed and described a “plan of attack” that [Trump] said was prepared for him by the Department of Defense and a senior military official. [Trump] told the individuals that the plan was “highly confidential” and “secret.” [Trump] also said, “as president I could have declassified it,” and, “Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.”

During an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, he confronted Trump with this portion of the indictment, which allegedly detailed a plan of attack against Iran. Baier asked if the former president remembered doing that.

Trump responded, “It wasn’t a document. I had lots of paper. I had copies of newspaper articles. I had copies of magazines.”

Baier pressed further, quoting the recording where Trump referred to the document as “secret” and claimed he could have declassified it while he was president. The indictment also cited testimony from people in the room who confirmed that Trump showed it to them.

Trump vehemently denied these statements, insisting that it was “just the opposite.”

Baier challenged him, saying, “You say on tape you can’t declassify. So why have it?”

Trump clarified, “When I said that, I couldn’t declassify it now because I wasn’t president, I never made any bones about that. When I’m not president, I can’t declassify.”

When Baier brought up the recording again, Trump dismissed it, saying, “No, no. Bret, there was no document.”

Watch the interview below:

BAIER: “According to the indictment, […] you were recorded saying that had a document detailing a plan of attack on another county […] the Iran attack plan. Do you remember that?”

TRUMP: “Ready? It wasn’t a document. I had lots of paper. I had copies of newspaper articles.” pic.twitter.com/QJMzyxBrYq

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 19, 2023

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases