There are MORE Trump ties: Justice Department has ‘several’ recordings of ex-president in case with classified documents – including his brag on files detailing an attack on Iran
- Prosecutors gave Trump’s team evidence as part of the discovery process
- It includes “interviews” conducted with non-governmental entities
- The FBI also plans to use Trump’s own public statements as evidence
The administration has provided copies of “interviews” former President Donald Trump gave as part of preparations for his trial on charges of documents under the Espionage Act – indicating that prosecutors are relying on more than one tape as evidence.
The government shared the information as part of the discovery process ahead of a trial that will start in August.
The 37-count indictment of the administration quotes directly from an interview with Trump — conducted at his club in Bedminister, New Jersey with a writer and publisher of former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ book. That conversation contains key information in which Trump waves what he says is classified information as he discusses a plan to attack Iran.
According to the government’s response to the court’s discovery warrant, prosecutors “produced interviews of Defendant Trump by nongovernmental entities, which were recorded with his permission and obtained by the Special Counsel’s Office during the investigation of this case, including the July 21 , 2021 taped interview Defendant Trump gave to a publisher and writer cited in part in the indictment.”
Prosecutors have provided lawyers for former President Donald Trump with ‘interviews’ the former president conducted with ‘nongovernmental entities’
It further provides no information about the content of the interview, whether or not it comes from a traditional media entity.
Prosecutors also turned over “public statements by Defendant Trump, including those public statements cited in the indictment.”
That follows claims from legal experts that Trump may have admitted to key facts in the case during a Fox News interview interview in which he defended his behavior, even while claiming to have documents in his house, during a media tour in which he has repeatedly labeled government investigations as a “witch hunt.”
Asked in the interview why he didn’t hand over the documents the government asked for, Trump replied, “Because I had boxes. I want to search the boxes and take out my personal items. I don’t want to give that up [the Archives] yet. And I was very busy, as you’ve seen.’
The filing also lists witnesses for the government who will testify at the trial.
And it says Trump’s lawyers may contact the FBI “to arrange inspection of unclassified items seized on August 8, 2022 at Mar-a-Lago” during an FBI search of the home of the president and the private golf club.
The two sides are involved in the discovery process, which requires prosecutors to share evidence they gathered on the defendant. Information about the indicted co-conspirator Walt Nauta has not yet been shared
The FBI also plans to use Trump’s own public statements as evidence
Special Counsel Jack Smith is leading the Trump investigation
As the filing states, Trump did not speak to the federal grand jury that handed down the 37 count indictment.
However, his old body man and assistant Walt Nauta did. Some of his statements are included in the indictment, which charges Trump with willful withholding of national security information and charges the pair with conspiracy to conceal information from the grand jury and the FBI.
Prosecutors also turned over Nauta’s May 26 interview with the FBI and his June 21 testimony before the grand jury.
Nauta has scheduled an arraignment for next week. Trump pleaded not guilty at his own arraignment in Miami, then flew to Bedminster and charged prosecutors in a speech.
Prosecutors also say they will reveal any promises of immunity or clemency — following a report in dailymail.com that it may be too late for Nauta to try to “flip” Trump and reach a cooperation deal with the administration.