Trump says leaked audio is an exoneration

This week, CNN reported on an audio recording of former President Donald Trump speaking about classified documents in his possession.

The recording was leaked to CNN and has been the top story for most of the week.

Trump blamed Special Counsel Jack Smith and the Justice Department and FBI for "illegally" leaking and spinning the information.

The former president also said that the leak is "actually an exoneration" of him.

"The Deranged Special Prosecutor, Jack Smith, working in conjunction with the DOJ & FBI, illegally leaked and 'spun' a tape and transcript of me which is actually an exoneration, rather than what they would have you believe. This continuing Witch Hunt is another ELECTION INTERFERENCE Scam. They are cheaters and thugs!" Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

"In the audio, Trump is heard discussing how Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley had accused him in an article of wanting to attack Iran, but that it was actually Milley who allegedly wanted to attack Iran. Trump appears to be holding papers and is heard saying, '[A]s president I could have declassified it. Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret,'" Breitbart reported.

Prosecutors are making efforts to say that the recording proves that Trump retained a classified document and knew it was still classified.

"Meanwhile, Trump has argued he meant he could have gone public with it at that time when he was president but missed the opportunity. It is also not clear whether he meant a document was 'still a secret' or the information that Milley allegedly wanted to attack Iran was 'still a secret.' It is also not clear if Trump meant 'secret' as in classified, or 'secret' in that the public still did not know about it," reported Breitbart. "Trump in the audio was also heard saying that the discussion was 'off the record.'"

A Trump campaign spokesman said that the former commander in chief was speaking "rhetorically."

"The audio tape provides context proving, once again, that President Trump did nothing wrong at all. The president is speaking rhetorically and also quite humorously about a very perverted individual, Anthony Weiner, who was deep inside the corrupt Clinton campaign. The media and the Trump-haters once again were all too willing to take the bait, falling for another Democrat-DOJ hoax, hook, line, and sinker," the spokesman said in a statement.