Department of Justice has ‘multiple’ recordings of ex-president in the classified documents case

The government has handed over copies of ‘interviews’ former President Donald Trump gave as part of the preparations for his trial on documents charges under the Espionage Act – indicating prosecutors are relying on more than one tape as evidence.

The government shared the information as part of the discovery process during the run-up to a trial set to begin in August.

The government’s 37-count indictment quotes directly from one Trump interview – conducted at his Bedminister, New Jersey club with a writer and publisher of former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ book. That conversation includes key information where Trump brandishes what he says is secret information while discussing a plan to attack Iran. 

According to the government’s response to the court’s discovery order, prosecutors have produced ‘interviews of Defendant Trump conducted by non-government entities, which were recorded with his consent and obtained by the Special Counsel’s Office during the investigation of this case, including the July 21, 2021 recorded interview Defendant Trump provided to a publisher and writer quoted in part in the Indictment.’

It does not otherwise provide information about the substance of the interview, or whether or not it is from a traditional media entity.

Prosecutors also turned over ‘public statements made by Defendant Trump, including the public statements quoted int he Indictment.’

That follows claims by legal experts that Trump may have admitted to key facts in the case during a Fox News interview interview where he defended his conduct even while stating he had documents in his home, on a media tour where he has repeatedly blasted government probes as a ‘witch hunt.’

Asked in the interview why he didn’t hand over the documents the government was requesting, Trump responded: ‘Because I had boxes. I want to go through the boxes and get my personal things out. I don’t want to hand that over to [the Archives] yet. And I was very busy as you’ve sort of seen.’ 

The filing also lists witnesses for the government who will testify at trial.

And it says Trump’s lawyers can contact the feds ‘to arrange for inspection of unclassified items seized at Mar-a-Lago on August 8, 2022’ during an FBI search of the president’s home and private golf club.

The two sides are engaged in the discovery process, where prosecutors must share evidence they they have collected on the defendant. Information on indicted co-conspirator Walt Nauta has not yet been shared

The feds also plan to use Trump’s own public statements as evidence

Special Counsel Jack Smith is heading the Trump probe

 As the filing states, Trump did not speak to the federal grand jury who handed up the 37-count indictment.

His long-time body man and aide Walt Nauta, however did. Some of his statements are included in the indictment, which charges Trump with willful retention of national security information and charges the pair in a conspiracy to conceal information from the grand jury and the FBI.

Prosecutors have also handed over Nauta’s May 26 interview with the FBI and his June 21 testimony before the grand jury.

Nauta has an arraignment scheduled for next week. Trump pleaded not guilty at his own arraignment in Miami, then flew to Bedminster and blasted prosecutors in a speech.  

Prosecutors also say they will disclose any promises of immunity or leniency – following a report in dailymail.com that it may be too late for Nauta to try to ‘flip’ on Trump and reach a cooperation agreement with the government.