According to exclusive sources from CNN, new information has emerged regarding the tapes mentioned by Special Counsel Jack Smith in an evidentiary disclosure to former President Donald Trump’s defense team. These tapes, which have been a focal point in the 37-count indictment against Trump on Espionage Act charges, contain explosive evidence, including an audio recording where Trump discusses a classified document he took with him when leaving the White House. On the tape, Trump acknowledges the document’s sensitive classification, preventing him from showing it to his visitors.
In a recent court filing, it was revealed that Trump’s attorneys received the first batch of evidence through the discovery process. This evidence includes multiple “interviews” that align with the description of the previously known tape. CNN reporters Paula Reid and Katelyn Polantz provided further details on the contents of these tapes during a segment on CNN News Central.
Reid explains that the special counsel disclosed that he had conducted recorded interviews with former President Trump. It was a known fact that after leaving office, Trump recorded all his interviews, whether they were with journalists, media personalities, biographers, or even friendly individuals. He desired to have his own record of these interactions. Previously, investigators only had knowledge of one interview, the explosive July 2021 recording in which Trump discusses Mark Milley and appears to show individuals in the room a classified document mentioned in the indictment.
The revelation of additional interviews intrigued Reid and Polantz, prompting them to reach out to their sources. They discovered that Trump’s own lawyers had handed over approximately half a dozen additional recordings earlier in the year, in response to a subpoena related to Mark Milley. While these recordings featured Trump discussing Milley, there was no reference to classified material. Therefore, it remains uncertain whether these recordings will significantly assist the prosecutors during an eventual trial.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the value of these additional interviews, legal requirements dictate that all collected materials must be handed over during the discovery process, even if they are not incriminating or intended for use in the trial. Furthermore, it has come to light that at least one additional source has provided the special counsel’s team with more recordings. However, multiple sources have confirmed to CNN that none of these supplementary interviews reach the level of incriminating evidence found in the notable Bedminster 2021 recording.
PAULA REID: On Wednesday night, the special counsel revealed that he’s already started handing over evidence in this case to defense attorneys as part of the discovery process. But what really stood out to us in that court filing late Wednesday is that he revealed that he had interviews, plural, with former President Trump that were recorded with his consent. Now, we know that after he left office, the former president was in the habit of recording any interviews that he did with journalists, media types, biographers, folks working on books, even if they were friendly to him. He wanted to have his own record.
But the only interview that we knew that investigators had was, of course, that explosive July 2021 recording where Trump is talking to some folks working on Mark Meadows’ autobiography. He starts talking about Mark Milley and then appears to be showing people in the room without a security clearance, a classified document that’s mentioned in the indictment.
But the fact that there were additional interviews, well, that piqued our interest. So we started calling our sources and we learned that, in fact, Trump’s own lawyers actually handed over around a half a dozen additional recordings.
They were subpoenaed earlier this year for any materials related to Mark Milley. And they did find additional recordings where Trump talked about Mark Milley, but he didn’t reference any classified material. So it’s unclear if these are going to be really helpful to prosecutors in any eventual trial.
But as part of Discovery, Kate, lawyers have to hand over everything they’ve collected, even if it’s not incriminating, even if they’re not going to use it at trial. Now, we know they also have at least one additional source that has provided them with additional recordings.
But at this point, multiple sources tell CNN that none of these additional interviews will rise to the level of incriminating material the same way that Bedminster 2021 recording does.
But all of this just speaks to a how quickly the special counsel is moving that he’s trying to already hand over this evidence, get this process under way. And also just how much stuff they’ve collected in the course of this investigation now.
KATE BOLDUAN: And you and your great reporting, you continue to learn, I’m sure, uncovering just how much more they are there collecting in terms of evidence in this investigation.
