In a recent interview on MSNBC, Stephanie Grisham, former White House press secretary, made a claim about former President Trump’s handling of classified documents. Grisham stated that she personally witnessed Trump displaying classified documents to individuals at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
According to her, this behavior demonstrates Trump’s lack of respect for classified information throughout his tenure.
Trump, who currently faces 37 counts related to alleged mishandling of classified documents, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The federal indictment against him included a partial transcript of a recording from a July 2021 meeting at his New Jersey golf club, in which Trump seemed to showcase a classified Pentagon document that he had taken from the White House.
Trump, in response to the recording, asserted that he was not actually holding any classified documents and claimed that the recording vindicates him. He referred to his actions as “bravado” and explained that he was merely discussing papers without actually possessing any official documents. The recording captures Trump discussing sensitive and classified information with an author and book publisher involved in a memoir about Mark Meadows, the former White House chief of staff.
Additionally, Trump admitted on the recording that he had the authority to declassify the materials while he was president but could no longer do so after leaving office, contradicting his previous assertions that he had declassified the documents he retained after his presidency ended.
