A new report from CNN outlines that federal prosecutors have obtained additional materials from former President Donald Trump’s team that at least generally relate to the U.S. military and Iran after a subpoena for such files, though the former president’s team was allegedly unable to locate a copy of a specific document that Trump discussed on an audio recording from 2021.
On that recording, Trump can be heard referring to a hypothetical plan of attack against Iran that’s been dubiously credited to top military official and occasional Trump opponent Mark Milley, who Trump wanted to discredit. At the time, Trump acknowledged the classification status of the claimed document, undercutting any contention that everything was just declassified and proving apparent foreknowledge of going against federal rules in any circumstances where Trump did show some of the classified files to others, which he is suspected of doing.
A federal subpoena demanding everything on hand that was related to Milley or Iran was issued earlier this year, in March. The exact status of the document Trump was discussing is unconfirmed, as the government has at other times taken possession of troves of sensitive materials harbored with Trump in which it technically may have been included. Trump claimed in a discussion on Fox News that he didn’t know any information about the meeting captured on that 2021 tape… although he attended. Another attendee was also hit with another subpoena that was similar in scope to what the former president’s team received. Both were issued after Trump aide Margo Martin was questioned in the government investigation into these circumstances.
CNN doesn’t have many details about what was provided to prosecutors, simply noting that the actual document Trump discussed on that tape wasn’t included, assuming the doc even exists. Citing developments like the slowed pace of collecting new evidence and testimony, some have spoken of any charges in the documents probe led by Special Counsel Jack Smith potentially coming very soon. Both obstruction and mishandling national security information are among what’s at issue, and Trump could be charged, further adding to his travails.
