and he was aware of the proper procedures for handling classified documents. the evidence, his own words. the federal indictment lists five specific public comments trump made about this subject, and here they are. in my administration i m going to enforce all laws concerning the protection of classified information. [ cheers ] no one will be above the law. we can t have someone in the oval office who doesn t understand the meaning of the word confidential or classified. one of the first things we must do is to enforce all classification rules and to enforce all laws relating to the handling of classified information. we also need the best protection of classified information. service members here in north carolina have risked their lives to acquire classified intelligence to protect our country. cnn s evan perez joins me. what stood out to you the most in this detailed indictment? reporter: one of the things that i think we should focus on is, you know, something that
explaining no one is above the law, even a former president. our nation s commitment to the rule of law sets an example for the world. we have one set of laws in this country and they apply to everyone. and, jake, the special counsel also making the point today that violations of u.s. laws on classified documents put the country at risk. that s right, anderson. i want to bring in cnn s paula reid. walk us through the most damning allegations in the indictment in your view. this indictment tells a story of what investigators have learned over the past year and a half. they lay out how the former president allegedly willfully retained over 300 classified documents allegedly storing them around his mar-a-lago resort everywhere from a bathroom to a bedroom to a ballroom for over two months, that ballroom was activity hosting events touring this time. they also reveal how sensitive secrets meant over for a handful of our closest allies were splayed out in a storage room. t
ballroom where public events were held. the indictment also alleges that trump showed these documents to at least one person and asked his attorney to lie to the federal government about possessing these classified documents or to hide or destroy the documents that had been subpoenaed. specifically says on at least two occasions trump shared the classified material to others who didn t have the clearance to see them. this afternoon, special counsel jack smith made his first ever remarks on the trump indictment plainly stating that no one, not even a former president, is above the law. our nation s commitment to the rule of law sets an example for the world. we have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone. special counsel smith also making the point today that violations of u.s. laws when it comes to classified documents put the nation at risk. prosecutors claim that trump can t fain ignorance, that he knew exactly what was at stake,