Former President Donald Trump said during an interview on Monday that he did not show classified documents to individuals without security clearances despite his claim on an alleged audio tape that he did.

Trump, who was charged earlier this month with 37 felonies in the federal investigation into his handling of classified national defense information, is accused of showing classified material to a writer who was interviewing the former president.

The indictment states:

In July 2021, at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey (“The Bedminster Club”), during an audio-recorded meeting with a writer, a publisher, and two members of his staff, none of whom possessed a security clearance, [Trump] showed and described a “plan of attack” that [Trump] said was prepared for him by the Department of Defense and a senior military official. [Trump] told the individuals that the plan was “highly confidential” and “secret.” [Trump] also said, “as president I could have declassified it,” and, “Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.”

Fox News anchor Bret Baier brought up that portion of the indictment — which allegedly detailed a plan of attack against Iran — during his interview with Trump and asked if the former president remembered doing that.

“It wasn’t a document,” Trump said. “I had lots of paper. I had copies of newspaper articles. I had copies of magazines.”

Baier responded, “This is specifically a quote, you’re quoted on the recording saying the document was ‘secret,’ adding that you could have declassified it while you were president, but, quote, ‘Now I can’t, you know, this is still secret, highly confidential.’ And the indictment cites the recording and the testimony from people in the room saying you showed it to people there that day.”

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Trump rejected those statements, claiming that it was “just the opposite.”

“You say on tape you can’t declassify,” Baier responded. “So why have it?”

“When I said that, I couldn’t declassify it now because I wasn’t president, I never made any bones about that,” Trump answered. “When I’m not president, I can’t declassify.”

When Baier again mentioned that Trump was recorded on tape saying those things, Trump responded, “No, no. Bret, there was no document.”

WATCH:

BAIER: "According to the indictment, […] you were recorded saying that had a document detailing a plan of attack on another county […] the Iran attack plan. Do you remember that?"

TRUMP: "Ready? It wasn't a document. I had lots of paper. I had copies of newspaper articles." pic.twitter.com/QJMzyxBrYq

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 19, 2023

Former President Trump defended his alleged retention of classified national defense documents during an interview this week, saying that “every good lawyer” agrees with his assertion that he did nothing wrong.

Trump made the remarks during a Fox News interview that aired on Monday evening with anchor Bret Baier.

“The only way NARA could ever get this stuff, this back would be [to say], ‘Please, please, please could we have it back,’” Trump said.

When asked by Baier why he did not just give everything back, which could have prevented his facing any criminal charges, Trump responded, “Because I had boxes.”

“I want to go through the boxes and get my personal things out,” he said. “I don’t want to hand that over to NARA yet. And I was very busy as you’ve sort of seen.”

Trump later brought up that his vice president, Mike Pence, also had classified documents, though Baier noted Pence immediately turned them over to authorities.

“No, he didn’t turn them over. He got caught,” Trump claimed. “His lawyers found some documents and then he turned them over. Why did he have them? He shouldn’t be saying that, because he had classified documents. And immediately they said, ‘Oh, that’s OK.’ And I suppose it’s going to be OK with Biden, too, even though he has them in Chinatown? Even though he has them in Delaware and probably 100 times more than I have?”

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When Baier asked Trump if he was worried about the 37 federal charges he faces, Trump responded: “Based on the law? Zero. Zero.”

“Presidential Records Act plus the Clinton case — the Clinton case which was won by Clinton as president because he took tapes of leaders in his socks. Zero,” Trump responded. “Zero. And every good lawyer has said it, and you have seen that. Every good lawyer has said that.”

When Baier noted that there are many experts who have pushed backed on Trump’s analysis of the situation, Trump responded: “This was a weaponization of politics. This was a weaponization of the White House. This was a horrible thing. A candidate that’s leading. I’m leading Biden by a lot. They go out and they weaponize. There is a horrible thing that was done.”