Former Trump White House Lawyer Says Newly-Released Audio ‘Bolsters the Government’s Claim’ Ex-President Violated Espionage Act

Former Associate White House Counsel James Schultz said audio of Donald Trump boasting about having classified documents “bolsters” the federal case against him.

On Monday, CNN aired a 2021 recording of Trump allegedly brandishing classified documents regarding a potential plan of attack against Iran. The audio backs up what the Department of Justice alleges in its indictment of Trump, which says he showed classified material to multiple people at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey. Trump is charged with 37 counts stemming from what the DOJ says was his willful retention of classified documents, as well as his efforts to thwart the government’s retrieval of them. He pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Trump previously stated he had declassified all documents that were later found in his possession after he was president, but on the recording, he appears to admit that the material he is supposedly waving is not declassified.

“This is secret information,” he says in the recording. “See, as president I could have declassified it. Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.”

“Does that full context of the tape as you hear all of it change anything for you in terms of the strength of this evidence for the special counsel?” CNN’s Abby Phillip asked Schultz.

“No,” Schultz answered. “Really, if anything it bolsters it, right? If this evidence is admissible – and I imagine they’re going to try to challenge on a number of different fronts, I’m not sure where they make their argument here to exclude this evidence. But if it is admissible in court, it’s certainly troubling for their defense.”

Trump is being charged in part under the Espionage Act – not because the government alleges he engaged in espionage, but because the DOJ says he willfully held onto national defense material. Such behavior is covered by the act.

“It bolsters the government’s claim under the Espionage Act,” Schultz continued. “It also bolsters their claim, you know, under the obstruction case because one of the things he’s been saying all along is that he can just wave a magic wand and these documents are declassified. And in this instance, in his own words, he’s saying it’s not declassified. So that’s very troubling for him, no doubt about it.”

Watch above via CNN.