Trump says he’s innocent as he is indicted on seven charges
Donald Trump made the stunning admission that he held onto “secret” military information that he hadn’t declassified.
“As president, I could have declassified, but now I can’t,” Mr Trump said during the meeting in 2021 after he left office, according to a transcript obtained by CNN.
In the meeting, Mr Trump spoke about a classified Defence Department document regarding a supposed attack on Iran. The recording was obtained by prosecutors, in which Mr Trump states that he didn’t declassify the document he’s speaking about.
The former president was indicted on seven charges relating to the storage of classified national defence documents dating from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach, Florida.
He will now appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday, his lawyer has since confirmed. Should he ultimately be convicted, he could face a maximum combined sentence of 100 years in prison.
Following the latest dramatic development to place his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in jeopardy, Mr Trump insisted on Truth Social: “I am an innocent man.”
