Leaked audio recordings of Australian businessman Anthony Pratt, who enjoyed a close relationship with former US President Donald Trump, have revealed surprising insights into the former commander-in-chief's behavior at his Florida Mar-a-Lago estate.
US media reported that Pratt, the billionaire owner of an international paper and packaging company, was a Mar-a-Lago member and a familiar presence in Trump's inner circle. Pratt's private conversations with the former president, some of which were recorded, have since garnered the attention of special counsel Jack Smith's team.
15 September 2022, 07:07 GMT
Pratt revealed that Trump allegedly asked Melania Trump to parade around in a bikini by the poolside at Mar-a-Lago "so all the other guys could get a look at what they were missing."
Melania's response reportedly proved equally surprising, as she quipped: "I'll do that when you walk around with me in your bikini."
The leaked audio is also said to have captured Pratt expressing a mix of admiration and astonishment at Trump's ability to stay in the line of legality.
"He knows exactly what to say and what not to say so that he avoids jail, but gets so close to it that it looks to everyone like he's breaking the law," remarked Pratt in one of the recordings.
However, it was a different conversation that raised eyebrows.