Ari Fleischer Tells Hannity That Trump ‘Went Too Far’ After Fox Airs Audio Of Ex-President Showing Off ‘Highly Confidential’ Docs
Fox News contributor Ari Fleischer had some pointed words about Donald Trump’s handling of government documents upon leaving office.
On Monday night, CNN aired audio of Trump bragging about having “highly confidential” documents relating to a potential plan of attack against Iran that was given to him by Gen. Mark Milley of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The recording is consistent with evidence described in a Department of Justice indictment of Trump over what the DOJ says was the former president’s willful retention of classified documents. The government further contends that Trump repeatedly obstructed its efforts to retrieve them.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 counts in the indictment.
“With Milley, let me see that. I’ll show you an example,” Trump says in the recording from 2021, allegedly at his resort in Bedminster, New Jersey. “He said that I wanted to attack Iran. Isn’t it amazing? I have a big pile of papers, this thing just came up. Look.”
As Trump speaks, the sound of papers being handled can be heard.
“This totally wins my case, you know. Except it is, like, highly confidential, secret,” Trump says. “This is secret information. But look, look at this.”
Shortly after CNN broke its story, Sean Hannity aired the clip in full on his Fox News program and asked Fleischer for his reaction.
“Was that actually the real document or was it a story that he was telling?” Hannity inquired. “And my understanding is that that particular document was never found by the special counsel or by, you know, the raid at Mar-a-Lago. But I might be mistaken on that.”
The former White House press secretary for George W. Bush replied:
Well, Sean, maybe that will be Donald Trump’s defense. I don’t know what his defense will be over this document. But as somebody who used to routinely handle classified information, I do have to say, that is not how you’re supposed to handle it. If it is a secret, top secret, whatever the classification is of this document, you may not show it to anybody who doesn’t have such a clearance. It may not leave a [Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility]. It can’t be in a place like Mar-a-Lago, which was not a SCIF.
So on this, I’m not sympathetic. I’ve always said that he shouldn’t have been indicted over this. I think that was overreach and it went too far, but I also think that the president went too far in taking classified documents. He should’ve returned them all when the government said they wanted them back.
Hannity responded by saying “I don’t disagree.” However, the host said there appears to be no clear process for declassifying documents (as Trump claims to have done with the aforementioned material). He also reiterated that it is possible Trump was not showing the document he says he is showing in the audio.
Watch above via Fox News.
