We begin tonight with new CNN
exclusive reporting
on the classified document
the former president claimed to have.
Prosecutors issued a subpoena
related to it,
but his lawyers told authorities
they were unable to find
the actual documents.
Evan Perez joins us now with the latest.
So what's going on here? They can't be.
They literally cannot find this thing.
They literally cannot
find this thing, Anderson.
And the question is,
does the president
have the documents somewhere?
Did he lose it?
Didn't even have it
during that July 2021 meeting that
CNN reported earlier this week
where he was waving it around.
This was in a meeting
where he was meeting.
He was having a meeting with
some biographers
working on a book for Mark Meadows.
And he was
said to be talking
about this, a battle plan,
this plan to attack
Iran and what the issue is
that the prosecutors
that are handling this investigation,
Jack Smith, prosecutors
had sent a subpoena asking for
any and all documents related to Iran
related to this possible meeting
from July of 2021.
They, of course, did this after
bringing in one of his closest aides,
a communications
aide, Margaux Margaux Martin,
who was inside that meeting.
She was brought before the grand jury.
She was played a recording
from that meeting.
And that's when prosecutors
then issued a subpoena to the Trump team
asking for all of these documents,
any of these documents to be brought in,
according to the trunk legal team,
they don't know
whether this document exists.
And they also don't know
whether during that July
meeting, Anderson,
whether the president
was just making it up
or whether it's somewhere else.
Right now.
And is that the Trump legal team,
its position right
now, that they still don't know where
they have they?
What's been the response to?
Well, you know,
they respond
as you've seen
a variety of their responses
over the course of this investigation,
including calling this, obviously
a political witch hunt.
The former president
in a town
hall with
Fox News
said that he has no knowledge of this
July meeting.
And they say
that they still don't know,
obviously, where this document is
that prosecutors are so interested in.
The thing
is, Anderson, the bottom line here
is that prosecutors
throughout months have insisted
that they believe
Trump has continued to possess
classified documents
that must be returned.
And so they've gone to court trying
to force
the president to be found in contempt.
And so far,
they still believe
documents are have led to have yet
to be returned.
The former
president says
that he doesn't have anything,
anything left in his possession Anderson.
Evan Perez, appreciate it.
Conservative lawyer
George Conway joins us now.
He's also contributing
columnist The Washington Post and joining
us, as well as former Maine
Republican Senator William Cohen,
who served as defense secretary
during the Clinton administration.
So, George,
we're talking about a document
containing information
about a potential attack on Iran.
We obviously have not seen this document.
We don't know exactly the nature of it.
How concerning is it, though,
that these attorneys say
they're unable to find it?
Well, it is concerning that the document
was apparently flying around
from Washington to Mar a Lago, perhaps,
and then to Bedminster.
But I think at the end of the day,
in terms of a potential prosecution, it's
not going to matter.
What matters is the fact
that he is
said to have acknowledged
President Trump on this tape,
that he possessed classified documents
and that he knew he possessed
classified documents and the fact
he that that was his state of mind
when he was requested
to have the documents
back later in the next year
and then refused to give them back
and then gave some of them back
and then lied about giving them all back
and so on and so forth.
I mean, it's
just another smoking gun
in a smoking arsenal.
Secretary Cohen, again,
we don't know
what this exact document was.
Would there be other copies of it
that prosecutors would have access to
or would they be able to reach out
to somebody
in the Pentagon
to find out
exactly what this document may have been?
Well, if the document did exist
and certainly
the Pentagon would have access to it,
if the former president is quoting
something about Chairman Milley,
then Chairman
Milley obviously would be a source
to go to to say what was it,
what was involved?
But rather than look
at the legal side of it, George
can certainly do that.
I'd like to talk
a little bit
about the implications
for our national security.
We spend billions,
tens of billions of dollars
collecting intelligence in order
to protect the American people.
The notion
that we are so cavalier,
our elected leaders,
the president of United States,
is so cavalier about those documents
puts our men and women in grave danger.
And just today in The Washington Post,
there's an article, lead article
talking about Iran planning to help
kill American soldiers in Syria
at the behest of the Russians.
So this is what's involved to say,
why are we making a big deal about this?
Because lives really are at stake.
Our men and women are serving
as are at stake,
and the American people's security
is compromised
when this kind of information gets out.
George,
the former president was asked
about the document
and this recording of him acknowledging
he had classified documents.
Here's what he told Fox.
I don't know anything about it.
All I know is,
is everything I did was right.
We have the Presidential Records Act,
which I abided by 100%.
I mean, obviously, it's
a ludicrous answer.
I'm just saying
he doesn't know anything about it.
There's allegedly
a recording of his voice on this.
He could easily
look at his or ask
somebody about it
if you wanted to answer that question.
How does all of this complicate
the former president's defense
as it relates
to the special counsel's investigation?
Well,
he doesn't have a defense,
so I guess he can say whatever he wants.
I mean, all
everything he does
say, though, will be used against him.
But the fact of the matter
is, there's just no dispute.
I mean, even at the time of the
search warrant
execution back last August,
I mean,
we saw the search warrant affidavit,
the affidavit used by the FBI
to get the search warrant.
I mean, there was just a
it was virtually an open and shut case
then.
I mean, he had the documents.
He refused to give them back.
He lied about giving them back.
And then they went
and they executed a search warrant
and they found all these documents.
So I don't know that
it makes his statements like that
make it any worse for him.
They don't certainly don't
make it better.
Secretary Cohen,
I mean, obviously, the U.S.
works
with relies
on allies in its intelligence gathering.
How does not being able to locate
a document like this or even the notion
that a former president would be
waving around a document like this,
how does that impact
other nations
willingness to work with
and share intelligence with the U.S.?
Well, it
it really erodes and corrodes
our credibility.
For example, the former president
fell following the firing
of the FBI director the very next day,
released information
to the Russian foreign
minister and Russian ambassador
that may have compromised
the intelligence
from Israel,
compromising one of their assets.
So every time one of these take place,
the other countries have to
say, is
the information we're giving
to the United States
going to be protected?
Because we have people at risk
on the front
lines, our ambassadors, our military,
they're all at risk.
And so when we turn information
over to the United States,
we expect it to be
really handled with the greatest of care.
And that clearly is not the case here.
The president has demonstrated
time and time again.
George, what does this signal to you
about the timeline?
Or does it
I mean,
I don't know if it signals anything,
but what do you think about the timeline
in the special counsel's office?
Well,
I think the timeline generally
I think, is just suggested
by the fact that we know so much now
about the investigation,
because what happens in these
in these investigations
is that there are lots of witnesses
and the witnesses, one by one, go in
and they're interviewed
by the Justice Department or the FBI, and
and they're sending to the grand jury.
And now you're getting to the point
where there are so many people who know
and the lawyers all share information
to make sure that, you know, their
their client is not saying anything
that's being conducted,
contradicted by some other
lawyers client.
They're sharing all this information.
That means lots
and lots of people
know a lot about this investigation,
which is why we're seeing this flood
of information interesting.
Which tells me
that this investigation is nearly done.
And when you think about it,
you look at the calendar.
I mean,
you want to get
I mean, if you were
Jack Smith, I mean, you're not rushing it
for political purposes,
but you're rushing
to avoid the political implications
of having this
having an indictment issued
during an election season
and of having a trial to late next year.
If you want to have a trial next summer
or earlier,
earlier next year,
you got to bring this case sooner.
Rather than later.
And you want to bring
you want to bring these charges before
the campaign really gets underway,
because that way you insulate yourself
from the charge that you're doing it
for political purposes.
But I think
when when this indictment
comes out, it's going to be a blockbuster
because given that what we know,
it's an open and shut case
many times over,
and I'm sure it's going to be a very,
very interesting indictment
of George Conway.
William Cohen, I appreciate it.
Thank you both for.