The 10 words that became ‘damning evidence’ against Donald Trump revealed

This would imply that Donald Trump was aware that the records he kept at Mar-a-Lago were classified.

Donald Trump was reportedly recorded on tape saying that he could have declassified national security documents while he was in office but failed to do so. The former US president was indicted on seven charges related to his handling of classified documents. A report in CNN claimed that federal prosecutors are in possession of a tape in which the former president can be heard saying that he kept "secret" military information. He no longer had the power to declassify them, Donald Trump can be heard saying on the tape.

A woman celebrating the indictment of former US president Donald Trump holds a banner in front of the White House.(AFP)

"As president, I could have declassified, but now I can't," a transcript of the tape said. The recording was made during a private meeting in 2021 in which Donald Trump also admitted to being in possession of a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack in Iran, CNN reported. This would imply that Donald Trump was aware that the records he kept at Mar-a-Lago were classified- something that he has denied repeatedly in the past months.

Last summer, a raid by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at the former president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida found that several classified documents were held at the residence. He was charged by federal prosecutors over his retention of national security documents upon leaving the White House in January 2021, as well as the alleged obstruction of the government's efforts to retrieve them- marking the first time a former United States president has faced federal charges. Donald Trump has denied all counts.