Donald Trump recorded saying he kept classified file after leaving office

US prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of Donald Trump in which he acknowledges keeping a classified document after leaving the White House.

CNN first reported that investigators had the tape, and people familiar with the matter later told the BBC’s US partner CBS this was the case.

The justice department is investigating Mr Trump’s handling of classified material. He denies wrongdoing.

The inquiry is reported to be nearing its end and could result in charges.

The audio recording is said to be from a meeting at Mr Trump’s New Jersey golf club in July 2021, which is around six months after he left office.

Two people familiar with the matter told CBS that Mr Trump can be heard acknowledging there are national security restrictions on a military memo because it details a potential attack on Iran.

He says it is still classified and should have been declassified before leaving the White House, one person said.

Mr Trump also says he wants to share information from the document but knows his ability to declassify it is limited because he is no longer president, CNN reported.

It is not clear whether Mr Trump had the document during the meeting or was just describing it to several aides who were there. Other reports suggest the sound of rustling paper can be heard.

The tape appears to contradict Mr Trump’s repeated argument that he declassified all material he removed from the White House. It could also prove to be a key piece of evidence if prosecutors seek to show the former president was aware he should not be in possession of classified documents.

Neither the BBC or CBS News have listened to the audio and it has not been made public.

Madeleine McCann: German police say objects

Several objects were found during a search of a Portuguese reservoir in connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, German officials say.

It was too early to confirm whether the items, which are being analysed, are connected to the missing Briton, Braunschweig prosecutors added.

Portuguese police helped by their German counterparts, searched the Arade reservoir in Portugal last week.

Madeleine disappeared from a holiday complex in the Algarve in May 2007.

Police say their investigation into 46-year-old German national Christian Brueckner, who has been named as an “arguido” or official suspect, is expected to continue for some time.

Media caption,

Watch: The BBC’s Daniel Sandford was at the reservoir in Portugal after the police search ended

Christian Wolters, prosecutor for the city of Braunschweig, said the items found in Portugal would be examined over the coming weeks.

“We thank all officers who participated in the search. The co-operation between the Portuguese police, the British officers and the German federal police was outstanding and very constructive,” he added.

Heavy machinery, sniffer dogs and pickaxes were used during the threeday search - which came at the request of German investigators who believe convicted sex offender Brueckner is the prime suspect in her disappearance.

He is currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for the 2005 rape of a woman on the Algarve. Brueckner lived in the region between 1995 and 2007, say police.

The Arade lake is 31 miles (50km) from where Madeleine went missing while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz.

Brueckner is thought to have often travelled in his Volkswagen T3 camper van to the reservoir - which is known to have been used as an unofficial camping spot.

The German denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance, saying he was “miles away” at the time.

It has been handed over to justice department investigators who are being overseen by special prosecutor Jack Smith. Their investigation, which has ramped up in recent weeks, is examining the removal of hundreds of classified government documents from the White House which were then taken to Mr Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after he left office.

Investigators are assessing how these documents were stored and who may have had access to them. They are also examining how his team responded to a request for security footage from his Florida estate.

Mr Smith will ultimately decide whether the former president should face criminal charges. Among other statutes, the justice department believes Mr Trump may have violated the Espionage Act by keeping national security information after he left office.

Mr Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, faces several other legal investigations. He was recently indicted in New York over hush money payments made to a porn star. He has pleaded not guilty. He is also the subject of an investigation in Georgia over his alleged efforts to try and overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state.