House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) engaged in a contentious exchange with CNN host Dana Bash regarding former President Donald Trump’s indictment in the Justice Department’s investigation into his handling of classified documents.
During the segment, Jordan staunchly defended Trump, claiming that the president’s authority to classify and control access to national security information derived from the Constitution, enabling him to handle it as he saw fit.
Bash challenged Jordan’s assertion by referring to a recorded statement from Trump in which he acknowledged his inability to declassify documents after leaving the White House. Bash cited a transcript of the audio recording obtained by CNN, stating that Trump clearly stated he did not declassify the material.
Jordan countered by arguing that Trump’s statement about what he could have done did not confirm that he actually took such action.
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“He said, ‘Now I can’t’,” Bash countered.
“He can’t now because he’s no longer president. But when he was president, he did declassify,” Jordan responded.
Bash interjected, highlighting that if the documents were classified, as indicated by Trump’s statement, it meant that Trump held classified information.
“Not if he declassified it while he was president of the United States, for goodness sake,” Jordan retorted.
Bash pressed on, emphasizing Trump’s explicit admission on the audio tape that he did not declassify the documents. She found Jordan’s argument illogical in light of this evidence.
“But he’s saying point blank in this audio tape that he did not declassify it. What you’re saying just doesn’t make sense on its face,” Bash said.
The recently unsealed indictment charged Trump with 37 counts related to mishandling records and impeding the government’s efforts to recover the documents following the conclusion of his White House tenure. These records reportedly contained information concerning military and foreign defense capabilities, U.S. nuclear programs, and potential vulnerabilities of the U.S. and its allies.
Bash repeatedly questioned Jordan about whether there was evidence to support Trump’s claim that he declassified the documents before taking possession of them. Jordan, known for being one of Trump’s closest allies in Congress, relied on Trump’s word as his basis of belief.
Watch:
Jim Jordan repeatedly insists to Dana Bash that Trump declassified everything, *even though Trump himself is on tape saying he didn't do that.* Astounding stuff. Jordan then pivots to Hillary's emails. pic.twitter.com/Vci6ChWN9m
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 11, 2023
