CAIRO, Egypt -- Egyptian officials say security authorities leaked a recording of a private conversation between ousted President Mohammed Morsi and his lawyer on the sidelines of his trial, in which Morsi says protests by his supporters and the crackdown on them are "useless."
Two security officials told The Associated Press that the recording, published by the privately owned Al-Watan newspaper, was released to show the public that Morsi knows protests will not bring him back to power. The two spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the tape.
In the recording, when the lawyer tells him that the protests going on are not productive and that negotiations should be held, Morsi seems to agree, saying, "It's useless from both sides," referring to both the protests and the crackdown against them.
