National Archives Doesn’t Know Whether Trump Returned All Records, Oversight Committee Says

Topline

The National Archives is not sure whether former President Donald Trump gave back all the presidential records he took from the White House, House Oversight Committee chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) wrote in a letter to the Archives on Tuesday, in which she asked the agency to conduct a review to ensure all documents are accounted for, according to multiple outlets.

Key Facts

National Archives staff members recently told the House Oversight Committee the agency is “not certain whether all presidential records are in its custody, ” Maloney wrote in a six-page letter to Acting National Archivist Debra Steidel Wall, according to the New York Times.

She urged the agency to conduct an “urgent review of presidential records recovered from the Trump White House” to assess whether Trump may still have some of the records.

Maloney also asked the Archives to get a “personal certification” from Trump that he has given back all the records he took from the White House after his presidency ended, according to the letter.

The letter comes after the Justice Department seized some 100 classified records from Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home last month and as the agency’s probe remains in limbo until a special master’s review of the materials seized in the search is complete.

An attorney for Trump signed a letter in June claiming there were no more classified documents stored at Mar-A-Lago, a declaration contradicted by the Justice Department’s list of items it retrieved in the August search.

Crucial Quote

“In light of the serious risk that Mr. Trump may still be retaining sensitive government records at Mar-a-Lago or his other properties, I urge NARA to seek a personal certification from Donald Trump that he has surrendered all presidential records that he illegally removed from the White House after leaving office,” Maloney wrote, according to CNN.

Key Background

The Justice Department is investigating whether Trump violated three federal statutes, including the Espionage Act, after 33 boxes of records, reportedly including classified information on a foreign nation’s nuclear capabilities, were found at his Mar-A-Lago home. Trump has claimed he declassified the documents, though it’s unclear whether he took actions to do so. The Justice Department has attempted to retrieve the records on multiple occasions, including through visits to the residence and a grand jury subpoena issued months before the raid. Federal agents searched Trump’s property after the former president voluntarily gave back more than 15 boxes of records in January. Trump asked U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon to appoint a special master two weeks after the raid, a request the judge approved. The ruling forced the Justice Department to temporarily stop reviewing documents in the criminal probe. The DOJ said Monday it would likely accept one of Trump’s candidates for a special master, who still needs to be approved by Cannon. She must also decide whether to allow the DOJ to resume examining documents in the probe.

Further Record

House Oversight panel asks Archives to assess whether White House records remain in Trump’s possession (Washington Post)

Archives Is Unsure Whether Trump Surrendered All Records, Panel Says (New York Times)