STATE AUDITOR? ALL IN STARTS RIGHT NOW. >> GOOD EVENING FROM NEW YORK I'M CHRIS HAYES. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN JUST WRAPPED UP A PRIMETIME ADDRESS TO THE NATION FROM THE OVAL OFFICE TOUTING THE DEBT CEILING DEAL THAT HE BROKERED WITH SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY THIS WEEK. A LOT OF ATTENTION HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON THE SWIFT PASSAGE OF THAT BILL IN THE HOUSE ON WEDNESDAY, THE SENATE LATE LAST NIGHT. LARGE BIPARTISAN MAJORITIES. ALL THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING, SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH HAS BEEN BARRELING AHEAD WITH HIS INVESTIGATION OF THE EX PRESIDENT, NOW THE LEADING CONTENDER FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION IN 2024. EARLIER THIS WEEK WE LEARNED THAT SMITH HAD OBTAINED A KEY NEW PIECE OF EVIDENCE IN THE CASE OF DONALD TRUMP'S HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS. HE'S NOW IN POSSESSION OF AN AUDIO RECORDING IN WHICH TRUMP ACKNOWLEDGES HE HELD ON TO CLASSIFIED PENTAGON DOCUMENTS ABOUT A POTENTIAL ATTACK ON IRAN. ON THAT RECORDING FROM JULY 2021 MEETING AT HIS BEDMINSTER, NEW JERSEY GOLF CLUB. TRUMP BEGAN RAILING ABOUT HIS HANDPICKED CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF GENERAL MARK MILLEY WHO WAS DESCRIBED IN MEDIA COUNTS AT THE TIME IS HAVING GUARDED AGAINST TRUMP'S STRIKE IN IRAN IN THE FINAL DAYS OF HIS PRESIDENCY NEWTOWN'S REPORTS THE EX PRESIDENT BEGAN REFERENCING A DOCUMENT HE HAD WITH HIM SAYING IT HAD BEEN COMPILED BY GENERAL MILLEY AND WAS RELATED TO ATTACKING IRAN. ACCORDING TO NEW REPORTING JUST OUT THIS AFTERNOON, TRUMP'S ATTORNEYS HAVE NOT FOUND THAT CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT IN QUESTION, EVEN AFTER RECEIVING A SUBPOENA SPECIFICALLY FOR EARLIER THIS YEAR. SO WHERE IS IT NOW? WE DON'T KNOW. BUT I THINK THIS NEW INFORMATION THAT WE GOT YESTERDAY, THIS RECORDING AND THE CONTEXT OF THE DOCUMENT AND MARK MILLEY. IT FINALLY CLARIFIES A KEY QUESTION, THE QUESTION AROUND DONALD TRUMP'S MOTIVE FOR HOLDING ON TO THESE MANY CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AFTER HE LEFT THE WHITE HOUSE. IN A STRICTLY LEGAL SENSE THE MOTIVE DOESN'T ACTUALLY MATTER. IN ORDER TO FILE CRIMINAL CHARGES THE SPECIAL COUNSEL JUST HAS TO BELIEVE THAT A CRIME WAS COMMITTED. IT'S A SHOCK IF IT'S STRONG ENOUGH TO LEAD TO A CONVICTION -- BUT OF COURSE JURIES, AND US THE PUBLIC, WE DO WANT TO KNOW WHY. WHY WOULD HE DO THIS. THE QUESTION OF WHY THE EX PRESIDENT TOOK THESE DOCUMENTS AND THEN REFUSED TO GIVE THEM BACK AND APPARENTLY OBSTRUCTED ATTEMPTS TO GET THEM BACK, SO FAR HAS NOT BEEN CLEAR. THERE'S BEEN A FEW THEORIES. SO SOME PEOPLE HAVE SUGGESTED, FLOATED THIS, NOT BASED ON ANY EVIDENCE, JUST AS A THEORY. THAT TRUMP HAD A CORRUPT -- HE WANTED TO SELL THE INFORMATION HE HAD TAKEN TO FOREIGN INTEREST. I HAVE TO SAY, THAT ALWAYS STRUCK ME IS PRETTY UNLIKELY. I THINK THAT WOULD BE A MORE COMPLICATED HIGH-RISK PLAY THAT DONALD TRUMP IS EQUIPPED TO EVEN ATTEMPT. THEN THERE'S ANOTHER THEORY, A SUGGESTION THAT HE KEPT THE DOCUMENTS BECAUSE THE GUYS JUST A PARAGRAPH WHO REALLY LIKES SOUVENIRS. AND I HAVE TO SAY, THAT'S BEEN KIND OF MY LEADING BELIEF. IT SEEMS TOTALLY PLAUSIBLE, JUST GIVEN THE STATE OF HIS OFFICE IN TRUMP TOWER. >> THIS OFFICE IS ALL YOU, AND IT'S A LITTLE BIT JUNKIE. >> YEAH, YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS GUY JUST GOT A FEW WEEKS AGO. THIS IS FROM THE MARINE CORPS, THAT'S THE CHAIR FOR THE APPRENTICE THAT ARE USED. TOM BRADY'S SUPER BOWL HELMET. THIS IS MIKE TYSON SPELL. THIS IS VINCE MCMAHON, FROM THE WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION, THIS IS SHAQUILLE O'NEAL'S SHOE. >> IS THAT A REAL ISSUE? >> HE TOOK ENOUGH OF A GAME AND HANDED IT TO ME. >> OKAY, SO, I DON'T THINK THAT'S A BIT. THAT'S NOT A BIT THIS IS A GUY WHO REALLY LIKES KNICK-KNACKS AND MEMORABILIA. AND HE LIKES TO SHOW THEM OFF TO PEOPLE. DO YOU REMEMBER HE EVEN STUCK IN EMPTY CLASSIFIED FOLDER THAT HE HAD CLEARLY TAKEN FROM THE PRESIDENCY IN A DISPLAY CASE AT THE BAR AT TRUMP TOWER. SO KEEPING THE DOZENS OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS THAT WENT TO THOSE COULD JUST BE HIS PRESIDENTIAL VERSION OF MIKE TYSON MEMORABILIA. IT'S POSSIBLE. BUT AGAIN, I MEAN, THIS MIGHT BE THE REASON BUT WHEN YOU TAKE A STEP BACK IT IS A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT AND LEGAL BILLS FOR WILL AMOUNT TO A BUNCH OF SOUVENIRS. WHICH BRINGS US TO WHY THE NEW REPORTING THE PENTAGON DOCUMENT TRUMP TALKED ABOUT IS TO SOW REVEALING. ALMOST KIND OF A LIGHT BULB MOMENT IN UNDERSTANDING THIS. AS THE NEW YORK TIMES MENTIONED IN THEIR REPORTING IN THE SUMMER OF 2021, THERE WERE SEVERAL NEWS STORIES ABOUT HOW GENERAL MARK MILLEY WAS WORKING TO PREVENT DONALD TRUMP FROM ATTACKING IRAN IN THE LAST MONTH OF HIS PRESIDENCY THIS ONE FROM THE NEW YORKER EXPLAIN THAT AS CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF, REALLY HAD BEEN ENGAGED IN AN ALARMED EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT TRUMP DID NOT EMBARK ON A MILITARY CONFLICT WITH IRAN ON PART OF HIS QUIXOTIC PANIC CAMPAIGN TO OVERTURN THE RESULTS OF THE 2020 REELECTION, ELECTION AND REMAIN IN POWER THEY FEAR THAT TRUMP WOULD INSIST ON LAUNCHING IT -- LAUNCHING A STRIKE THAT WOULD RESULT IN A FULL BLOWN WAR. TRUMP HATED THAT REPORT AND CLAIMED THAT THE DOCUMENT THAT HE HAD, THE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT HE HAD TAKEN, ACCORDING TO REPORTING ON THE RECORDING. THAT DOCUMENT, HE SAYS MILLEY WROTE, THAT WOULD UNDERMINE THE GENERAL STORY. HOW COULD DONALD TRUMP HAVE BEEN WORKING, HOW COULD MILLEY HAVE BEEN WORKING AGAINST ATTACKING IRAN IF HE WROTE THE PLAN OF HOW TO DO IT. NOW, AGAIN, TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS ALL MISLEADING. THE MILITARY HAS CONTINGENCY PLANS FOR PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING INCLUDING A WAR WITH IRAN. SOURCES HAVE ALSO TOLD MULTIPLE NEWS OUTLETS THAT MILLEY DID NOT WRITE THAT REPORT. BUT IN DONALD TRUMP'S POINT OF VIEW, THAT DOCUMENT WAS HIS AMMUNITION TO SETTLE HIS SCORE WITH THE GENERAL. THAT IS THE MOTIVE THAT REALLY MAKES SENSE TO ME. THAT THAT HE JUST PLUCKED DOCUMENTS FOR SOUVENIRS. BUT THAT HE TOOK THEM SPECIFICALLY AS RECEIPTS. IF HE HAS DOCUMENTS IN HIS POSSESSION HE CAN WIELD THE INFORMATION THEY CONTAIN AS LEVERAGE. THE INFORMATION IN THOSE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS IS POWERFUL. THAT IS WHY THE ENTIRE COMPLICATED, OVERLY COMPLICATED SYSTEM OF CLASSIFICATION EXISTS. IT IS WHY THE WORLDS OF INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES EXIST. TO EXTRACT INFORMATION AGAINST THE WILL OF OTHER STATES BECAUSE THAT INFORMATION IS USEFUL AND IT IS POWERFUL. DONALD TRUMP WOULD WANT THAT SECRET INFORMATION FOR SAINT REASON THE SPINE MIGHT WANT TO. TO USE IT TO HIS ADVANTAGE AGAINST HIS ENEMIES. THAT MOTIVE FITS PERFECTLY WITHIN DONALD TRUMP'S CHARACTER. I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS THE MOTIVE BUT IT'S THE MOTIVE, IT'S THE FIRST TIME A POSSIBLE MOTIVE MAKES THE WHOLE SITUATION SNAP INTO FOCUS FOR ME. AND THE RECORDING ABOU
