(CNN) 鈥� Federal prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting in which former President acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran, multiple sources told CNN, undercutting his argument that he declassified everything.
The recording indicates Trump understood he retained classified material after leaving the White House, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation. On the recording, Trump鈥檚 comments suggest he would like to share the information but he鈥檚 aware of limitations on his ability post-presidency to declassify records, two of the sources said.
CNN has not listened to the recording, but multiple sources described it. One source said the relevant portion on the Iran document is about two minutes long, and another source said the discussion is a small part of a much longer meeting.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the Justice Department investigation into Trump, has focused on the meeting as part of the criminal investigation into Trump鈥檚 handling of national security secrets. Sources describe the recording as an 鈥渋mportant鈥� piece of evidence in a possible case against Trump, who has repeatedly asserted he could retain presidential records and 鈥渁utomatically鈥� declassify documents.
Prosecutors have asked witnesses about the recording and the document before a federal grand jury. The episode has generated enough interest for investigators to have questioned Gen. Mark Milley, one of the highest-ranking Trump-era national security officials, about the incident.
The July 2021 meeting was held at Trump鈥檚 golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with two people working on the autobiography of as well as aides employed by the former president, including communications specialist Margo Martin. The attendees, sources said, did not have security clearances that would allow them access to classified information. Meadows didn鈥檛 attend the meeting, sources said.
Meadows鈥� autobiography includes an account of what appears to be the same meeting, during which Trump 鈥渞ecalls a four-page report typed up by (Trump鈥檚 former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) himself. It contained the general鈥檚 own plan to attack Iran, deploying massive numbers of troops, something he urged President Trump to do more than once during his presidency.鈥�
The document Trump references was not produced by Milley, CNN was told.
Investigators have questioned Milley about the episode in recent months, making him one of the highest-ranking national security officials from Trump鈥檚 administration to meet with the special counsel鈥檚 team.鈥疢illey鈥檚 spokesman Dave Butler declined to comment to CNN.
The revelation that the former president and commander-in-chief has been captured on tape discussing a classified document could raise his legal exposure as he continues his third bid for the White House. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
A Trump campaign spokesman said 鈥渓eaks鈥� are meant to 鈥渋nflame tensions鈥� around Trump.
鈥淭he DOJ鈥檚 continued interference in the presidential election is shameful and this meritless investigation should cease wasting the American taxpayer鈥檚 money on Democrat political objectives,鈥� the spokesman added.
When asked at a CNN town hall this month if he showed classified documents he kept after the presidency to anyone, Trump answered: 鈥淣ot really. I would have the right to. By the way, they were declassified after.鈥�
A lawyer for Meadows declined to comment. A lawyer for Martin declined to comment.
Smith鈥檚 investigation has shown signs of nearing its end, though it hasn鈥檛 yet resulted in any criminal charges. A spokesman for the special counsel鈥檚 office declined to comment for this story.
Trump was outraged at New Yorker story on Milley and Iran
The recording that鈥檚 now in the hands of prosecutors shows they are not only looking at Trump鈥檚 actions regarding classified documents recovered from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, but also at what happened at Bedminster a year earlier.
The meeting in which Trump discussed the Iran document with others happened shortly after by detailing how, in the final days of Trump鈥檚 presidency, Milley instructed the Joint Chiefs to ensure Trump issued no illegal orders and that he be informed if there was any concern. The story infuriated Trump.
Glasser reported that in the months following the election, Milley repeatedly argued against striking Iran and was concerned Trump 鈥渕ight set in motion a full-scale conflict that was not justified.鈥� Milley and others talked Trump out of taking such a drastic action, according to the New Yorker story.
On the recording and in response to the story, Trump brings up the document, which he says came from Milley. Trump told those in the room that if he could show it to people, it would undermine what Milley was saying, the sources said. One source says Trump refers to the document as if it is in front of him.
Several sources say the recording captures the sound of paper rustling, as if Trump was waving the document around, though is not clear if it was the actual Iran document. There鈥檚 also laughter in the room that鈥檚 captured on the recording.
The US military has contingency plans and courses of action that apply to countries and situations around the globe.
The meeting took place well before Trump鈥檚 team shipped 15 boxes of presidential records and classified documents back to the National Archives and Records Administration in January 2022 after months of back-and-forth between his team and the records agency.
The Justice Department later obtained additional documents with classified markings from Trump, seizing more than 100 during a . Trump鈥檚 legal team hired people to search other Trump properties, including Bedminster, late last year.
Investigators from the special counsel鈥檚 office also have asked in their document handling and obstruction investigation about other scenarios in which Trump may have shown national security documents, such as maps, to others, sources say. They鈥檝e also asked several witnesses to share details about Trump鈥檚 anger toward Milley.
During the summer of 2021, sources say multiple people were making recordings of Trump as he held conversations with journalists and biographers.
Trump鈥檚 different explanations on the declassified documents
Trump and his attorneys have given several different, often conflicting, explanations for why Trump didn鈥檛 intentionally retain classified materials in violation of federal law.
Initially, Trump allies argued he had a 鈥渟tanding declassification order鈥� so that documents removed from the Oval Office were immediately declassified. 鈥疉 few weeks later, Trump told Fox 海角社区app that he could declassify things
Earlier this year, Trump鈥檚 legal team told Congress that classified material was inadvertently packed up at the end of the administration. Most recently, at a town hall that materials were 鈥渁utomatically declassified鈥� when he took them.
However, there鈥檚 no indication Trump followed the legally mandated declassification process, and his attorneys have avoided saying so far in court whether Trump declassified records he kept.
This story has been updated with a response from former President Trump鈥檚 campaign.
The-CNN-Wire
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