Former President Donald Trump has been charged with retaining a top-secret document that he discussed at a meeting in 2021, according to a source familiar with the matter. The document, which was included in 15 boxes returned to the National Archives in January of last year, is described as a “presentation concerning military activity in a foreign country” believed to be Iran. This charge stands out as the only criminal charge related to the documents returned by Trump.
The document was in Trump’s possession from the day he left the White House in 2021 until January 17, 2022, the same date he returned the boxes to the National Archives. Audio recordings of the meeting aired by CNN capture a moment when Trump indicates that he is holding a secret Pentagon document with plans to attack Iran, saying, “These are the papers.”
Trump has denied that the papers he showed at the meeting included a classified government document, claiming he had referred only to news articles. His attorneys previously stated that they were unable to find the document and that Trump and his staff did not review the materials in the boxes before returning them.
It remains to be seen how this new charge will impact the ongoing legal proceedings against Trump. The former president continues to face scrutiny for his actions during his time in office, and this latest development adds another layer to the investigations surrounding him.