Radio host Billy Bush has suggested that previously undisclosed recordings of President Donald Trump, which could potentially damage him politically, might be stored in a secure vault in Idaho.
Bush, who was involved in the infamous 2005 "locker room" tape incident, said on the Jim Acosta Show Thursday that he believes more tapes exist but did not elaborate on their exact contents.
Just weeks before the 2016 election, The Washington Post published a recording from Access Hollywood that captured Trump making damaging remarks to Bush.
"You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful [inaudible] -- I just start kissing them," Trump said on a hot mic. "It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p. You can do anything."
At the time, Trump characterized his comments as "locker-room banter" and issued an apology "if anyone was offended." Trump has since suggested the recording is a fake.
"When [the Access Hollywood tape] came out, it was because a contestant in a Miss Universe pageant had said 'Donald Trump has said terrible things about me,' and he said 'I never talk like that at all,' and then NBC sent out to all their divisions 'look through your tapes,'" Bush told Acosta.
"Now, the ones they wanted belonged to Mark Burnett and are in a vault somewhere in Idaho, and those are all the outtakes from The Apprentice set."
Newsweek contacted the White House via email for comment outside of office hours.
Burnett, a 13-time Emmy award-winning producer, has had a longstanding professional relationship with Trump, who reportedly once referred to him as a "special friend." He also produced Trump's reality television series The Apprentice, which aired from 2004 to 2017. According to Bush, hundreds of outtake tapes from the show remain in Burnett's possession.
According to Bush, the footage came to light when someone at Access Hollywood recalled an old recording from 11 years earlier. The clip, which included Trump making remarks on a range of topics, including furniture shopping, was sent to NBC News for review. Despite being a relatively small division within the network, Access Hollywood's tip led NBC to examine the material, ultimately deciding to release the tape. The network then reportedly combed through additional archives in search of any other relevant recordings.
The 2005 recording that captured Trump making lewd remarks about women sparked widespread outrage when the tape was released during the 2016 presidential campaign.
In the footage, first reported by The Washington Post, Trump is heard telling Bush that he attempted to have sex with a married woman. The clip comes from unaired footage filmed before Trump's appearance on the U.S. soap opera Days of Our Lives.
At the time, Bush, then a host on Access Hollywood, faced criticism for laughing and participating in the conversation; ultimately getting fired from his role on the Today show.
The remarks have reignited interest in further tapes, which were a turning point in public discussions about Trump's treatment of women in the run-up to his 2016 clash against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. While the original recording generated significant backlash, the possibility of additional tapes raises new questions about transparency and the scope of Trump's conduct on television sets or in private settings.
It remains to be seen if the alleged tapes are authentic and if they will ever be released.