Audio of a 2021 meeting held at Trump's Bedminster golf club — in which he speaks of a classified document pertaining to a potential attack on Iran — is at the top of the pile of evidence in the ongoing investigation into his handling of sensitive materials post-presidency. Missing from that pile is the document itself, as his lawyers are unable to locate it.
In mid-March, a federal subpoena was issued asking for Trump's attorneys to hand over material related to the information discussed on the audio, but have yet to be able to produce the physical document that was referenced on it, which presents an even larger issue.
According to CNN, "The fact that Trump's team was unable to produce the document underscores the challenges the government has faced in trying to recover classified material that Trump took when he left the White House and in understanding the movement of government records that Trump kept."
There has been concern that Trump's team has not been forking over everything there is to fork over, and this latest disappearing act points to that concern being valid. In the ongoing search for the requested materials, CNN's reporting points out an alternate possibility for why it can't be found in that "it's unclear if the government already possesses a copy of the Iran document from the boxes Trump's legal team returned to the National Archives last year or recovered in the subsequent FBI search."
Whether the document is recovered or not, the 2021 audio of Trump talking about it is damning enough. In a report by The New York Times, it's highlighted that "his statements on the recording could prove damaging to him as [Jack] Smith's team moves toward concluding its investigation and turns to the question of whether to file charges."
In a recent appearance on "Meet the Press," attorney Andrew Weissmann co-signs this saying, "If the document doesn't exist … the evidence on that tape is still useful to show his state of mind."
WATCH: As a tape is unveiled showing Trump talking about classified docs, @chucktodd asks whether Trump's history of lying could help w/ his defense.
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 2, 2023
Andrew Weissmann: "No. … If the document doesn't exist … the evidence on that tape is still useful to show his state of mind." pic.twitter.com/Drx8PGg48h
