Trump discusses secret ‘papers’ on Iran attack in newly-released recording

A tape of former US president Donald Trump allegedly discussing a secret military plan to attack Iran with a number of people at his golf club in New Jersey has been publicly revealed.

The recording, which was aired on Monday night by broadcaster CNN, appears to indicate that Mr Trump had in his possession a classified Pentagon document and that he described it to the people he was with.

“These are the papers,” Mr Trump says on the two-minute tape.

The recording does not contain detail of the nature of any plan to attack Iran that may have been set out in the document.

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A partial transcript of the meeting in Bedminster, New Jersey forms part of the indictment brought against Mr Trump earlier this month for allegedly mishandling confidential documents which he took from the White House after he left office.

However, the tape, which includes some additional material not in the indictment, had not been heard publicly until it was broadcast by CNN.

The indictment maintains that the recording took place on July 21st, 2021 during an interview which the former president gave to a writer and a publisher for a book. Some of Mr Trump’s staff were also present.

It has been reported in the US - and suggested in the indictment - that Mr Trump was furious at the time about a magazine article which maintained the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen Mark Milley, had been concerned that the former president could launch a war before he left office in January 2021.

On the tape, Mr Trump can be heard shuffling papers as he spoke.

“He [Milley] said that I wanted to attack Iran. Isn’t it amazing?” he says.

“I have a big pile of papers, this thing just came up. Look. This was him. They presented me this – this is off the record but – they presented me this. This was him. This was the defence department and him.

“All sorts of stuff. Pages long.

“And you know. He wanted to attack Iran, and what…,” Mr Trump says. “These are the papers. This was done by the military and given to me.”

The phrase “these are the papers” was not contained in the transcript of the recording contained in the indictment against Trump by prosecutors.

On the tape Mr Trump says that while he was president, he could have made the document public but not once he left office.

“See, as president I could have declassified it... Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.”

In the recording the former president describes the material he is discussing with his guests as “so cool”.

The recording broadcast by CNN concludes with Mr Trump calling out – presumably to someone working at his golf club – “hey, bring some, uh, bring some Cokes in please”.