Former President Donald Trump defended his decision to hoard classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after his presidency in a new interview on “The Megyn Kelly Show” released on Thursday, and social media is adding to the discussion.
The former Fox News host sat with Trump following a longtime tension stemming back to 2015. She grilled Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to dozens of federal charges in connection with the case, about holding on to material containing national secrets. According to an expert speaking to CBS News, classified documents are information that could threaten national security if it “is disclosed in an unauthorized manner.”
As The New York Times reported, citing an indictment, the sensitive materials were stored in unconventional places like his ballroom and even a shower stall at his estate.
During the interview, Trump kept saying that he was protected by the Presidential Records Act — which underscores that the records are owned by the US, not the president themselves. His claim is one that legal experts have debunked.
“I’m allowed to have these documents. I’m allowed to take these documents, classified or not classified,” Trump told Kelly. “Frankly, when I have them, they become unclassified. People think you have to go through a ritual. You don’t, at least in my opinion.”
People on social media slammed Trump’s statements and said he “incriminated” himself. “Imagine defense using ‘in my opinion’ as their defense strategy,” one user wrote. Another person said that his lawyers “are ripping their hair out because Trump is incapable of shutting up.”
In July, Special Counsel Jack Smith, who first charged Trump in June, hit him with additional charges after accusing him of instructing an employee to delete footage wanted by officials investigating the case, according to Politico. When asked about it this week for NBC’s “Meet The Press,” Trump said the accusations are “false.”
“Will you testify to that under oath?” moderator Kristen Welker asked.
“I’ll testify,” he responded before blasting Smith. “It’s a fake charge by this deranged lunatic prosecutor who lost in the Supreme Court nine to nothing, and he tried to destroy lots of lives.”
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