Trump Contradictions Deepen in Document Controversy

Trump Entangles Himself Further in Document Controversy with Contradictions

Donald Trump is vigorously fighting against accusations in the document controversy, but fails to provide precise explanations. Instead, the former US President is increasingly entangling himself in inconsistencies and contradictions.

In an attempt to refute the allegations against him in the secret government documents affair, former President Donald Trump stated in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday (local time), "I only know that I did nothing wrong." He described it as another "hoax," a "disgrace," and "election interference." The audio recording, which further complicates matters for the Republican, was released by US media on Monday.

Trump was indicted at the federal level in mid-June for keeping top-secret government documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and failing to return them upon request. The recently released recording from 2021 captures Trump discussing papers that he apparently showed to his conversation partners. Specifically, it appears to be a secret Pentagon document related to Iran. The former President remarks, "It's strictly confidential, classified."

Trump: "I had a whole desk full of many papers"

Trump is now increasingly entangled in contradictions. In the recording, he says, "As President, I could have released them, but now I can't." This seems to refer to the documents he showed to his conversation partners. Previously, the Republican had repeatedly claimed that the classified materials were no longer deemed secret after being taken to Mar-a-Lago in the state of Florida.

However, the 77-year-old fails to provide a clear explanation of the specific document he had shown at the time. Instead, during his interview with Fox News, he stated, "I had a whole desk full of many papers, mostly newspaper articles."

How likely is it that Donald Trump will become US President again?

The existence of the audio recording was already known, and its transcript is a central part of the indictment against Trump. What is new is that it is now publicly accessible for everyone to listen to. Two weeks ago, Trump had to appear personally before a federal court in Miami. He pleaded "not guilty." It was the first time that a former US President had to appear before a federal court to face charges.