The hosts on MSNBC had a laugh on Friday during a “dramatic reading” that host Rachel Maddow gave of former President Trump’s indictment over the classified and sensitive documents kept at Mar-a-Lago after his presidency.
Maddow recited a transcript of an interview that Trump allegedly gave to a writer and a publisher for an at-the-time upcoming book in July 2021 that was included in the charging document. During the conversation, which also included a member of his staff, Trump seems to discuss a document he had that he told the others about that he could have declassified as president but now cannot.
“Trump: See as president I could have declassified it. Staffer: Yeah. Ha ha. Trump: Now I can’t, you know but it is still a secret. Staffer: Yeah. Ha ha. Now we have a problem. Trump: Isn’t that interesting?” Maddow recited as she and others began laughing.
The conversation seems to undermine Trump’s argument that he declassified all the documents that were taken from the White House after he left office. He has been charged with 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information in violation of the Espionage Act, conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements and representations and violating a few other laws.
Despite Trump’s defense that he declassified the documents and the conversation he allegedly had, classification status is not a determinant as to whether the Espionage Act was violated. The law only considers if the information put at risk could have harmed U.S. national security or helped a foreign country.
“Yes, you do have a problem because you just acknowledged this is a classified document that you have shown to a staffer with no security clearance as well as a reporter in the room,” Maddow said.
The hosts also chuckled at comments Trump made in 2017 that were mentioned in the indictment. The document included remarks Trump said during a press conference in which he condemned those who leak classified information to members of the press, saying they should be “ashamed of themselves.”
Maddow said special counsel Jack Smith, who has been conducting the investigation into this matter, included the comments to show Trump is aware that sharing classified information with those not allowed to have it is illegal.