Comedian Tom Arnold is re-upping his claim that there are videotapes from the archives of 'The Apprentice' showing Donald Trump using what polite society refers to as the C-word and the 'N-word.'

But now he has insisted on Twitter that a vast conspiracy of '7 powerful Hollywood people who have everything' is engaged in a cover-up to hide the outtake footage from public view.

Still, Arnold alleges that '[a]ll will be reviewed soon. Smart Watergate level journalists are ontop [sic] of this.'

Arnold explained to B-actor Michael Rapaport in a series of Christmas Day tweets that he had seen the video, forwarded to him through 'a program used in our biz 2 prevent piracy.'

He claimed he can't bring the purported video to light because the presumably encrypted computer file 'had a limited time password' – making it like a Snapchat message.

Tom Arnold vowed days ago to release a tape which he claims shows Donald Trump using vulgar language, but now says the file was locked by 'a limited time password'

Arnold told fellow B-lister Michael Rappaport that a Hollywood conspiracy of '7 big shots' was protecting Trump, but journalists were chasing the story

'Tom,you talking sideways,' Rappaport had asked him. 'Where Dem Tapes At?'

'When I received [it] no one thought Trump would be Pres[ident],' Arnold tweeted in reply. 'When it became real people got scared.'

Later on Rappaport wrote on Twitter that Arnold had convinced him off-line that his tale was true: 'I wanna say I spoke to @TomArnold in private & as much as I Want Dem Tapes, this isn't as easy as one would think & it's not over.'

Arnold said Trump was filmed using the 'N-word' and the 'C-word' – and calling one of his sons a 'retard' while filming The Apprentice for NBC

Arnold claimed anti-piracy software had password-protected the incendiary footage, and the password expired before he considered releasing the video

Arnold told a radio host on KIRO in Seattle this month that the footage seemed 'funny' when a few NBC production staffers passed it around.

'Hundreds of people have seen these. It was sort of a Christmas video they put together. He wasn’t going to be President of the United States.'

The comedian described the video as showing Trump 'sitting in that chair saying the N-word, saying the C-word, calling his son a retard, just being so mean to his own children.'

Then, he said, he got a call two days before the Nov. 8 election from a Hollywood agent who was 'sitting next to Hillary Clinton.'

'They said, "I need you to release [the tape of] him saying the N-word."

TOM ARNOLD'S TWEETSTORM In a series of 14 tweets on Christmas Day, comedian Tom Arnold proposed an explanation for why he hadn't released video outtakes from 'The Apprentice' which he claimed to have, showing Donald Trump using vulgar language and insulting one of his sons. Below is the full text of that Twitter rant, formatted into paragraphs: Donald Trump and Tom Arnold, pictured together at the Elton John AIDS Foundation benefit dinner in 2005 'I'm going 2 explain cause I know U rode Trump's butt for the 5 yrs it took him 2 confirm Obama's legitimacy. I received tape via program used in our biz 2 prevent piracy. Had a limited time password. 'When I received no one thought Trump would be Pres. When it became real people got scared. Can't blame them. Me & my fam get threatened by Alt Right nuts a lot plus only Billy Bush's career was hurt by "grab her by the p***y" tape. 'Normally I don't think a persons private life should affect job. Didn't say anything about Natl Enquirer paying off Trumps playmate girlfriends. Plus he'd always been nice to me but he became a bully. John McCain's POW heroism, Cruz's dad killing JFK Etc. Not the guy I knew & he was stoking racism. Lying. Basically saying anything to get elected contradicting himself. 'Then the Russian hack happened. That and him lying about releasing his taxes. I knew he'd spoken to Putin 2013 in Moscow during Miss Universe contest from NBC guy that was with him. I shot a movie "produced" by one of his bus partners & Putin pal. Very chatty. This was 2015 so of course he didn't think he was telling tales about what happened in 2013 to a US President. 'You have to see his taxes. These tapes are disgusting but not illegal. I'm not going to out the little guy but I personally confronted 7 powerful Hollywood people who have everything. They hate me now. Terrible career move but I believe if Russia has something they can blackmail our president with its worth the risk to me. Plus I'm a 57 year old father of 1 & 3 yr olds. I want to do all I can so there's a safe America for them. 'Call me & I will give you the names of the 7 big shots and you can risk your livelihood and confront them too. All will be reviewed soon. Smart Watergate level journalists are ontop of this.' Advertisement

'I said, "Well, now these people" – two editors and an associate producer – "are scared to death." They’re scared of his people, they're scared of they’ll never work again, there’s a $5 million confidentiality agreement.'

It was him sitting in that chair saying the N-word, saying the C-word, calling his son a retard, just being so mean to his own children. Tom Arnold

He made no mention during his KIRO interview of 'a limited time password' that he would later claim was keeping him from unlocking the file again – but said ' I have the outtakes to The Apprentice where he says every bad thing ever, every offensive, racist thing ever.'

Days later he declared war on the president-elect with a tweet claiming that a Trump emissary had left a voicemail threatening a defamation lawsuit.

'It's on! Open Apprentice vaults 4 discovery! Miss Universe too!!' he tweeted.

Arnold did not explain why he hasn't released that purported voicemail audio.

Arnold claimed this month that he had received a threatening voicemail from a member of Trump's team threatening legal action, but he hasn't released that audio

Arnold claimed both Arnold Schwarzenegger's team and aides working for Hillary Clinton contacted him just days before the election and urged him to go public with the video

In his Christmas Day tweets, he also accused Trump of lying when he said during his presidential campaign that he had never met Russian President Vladimir Putin.

'I never met Putin – I don't know who Putin is,' Trump said during one press conference.

And during his final debate against Hillary Clinton, Trump declared: ' I don't know Putin. I have no idea. I never met Putin.'