Federal investigators have summoned the National Archives and Records Administration for classified documents sent to former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort after he left the White House.
According to The New York Times, the summons is part of a grand jury investigation into how those documents were handled. In February the National Archives asked the Justice Department to investigate whether Trump had violated the law after discovering 15 boxes of records at Mar-a-Lago.
Investigators are trying to figure out how the documents were sent to Florida and whether those involved were aware of the sensitive material. To answer those questions, he is also looking to question officials present in the White House during the last days of Trump’s presidency.
Trump spokesman Taylor Budovich told the Times that the president’s records were handled appropriately.
“President Trump consistently handled all documents in accordance with applicable law and regulations,” Budovich said. “Late attempts to second-guess that apparent facts are politically motivated and misguided.”
In January, the National Archives retrieved 15 boxes of presidential records from Mar-a-Lago and found “items marked as classified national security information within the box”, according to a letter from the US Archivist to the House Committee on Oversight End. According to the reform.
“If it were anyone other than ‘Trump,’ there would be no story here,” Trump wrote in his blog after the discovery. “Instead Democrats are looking for the next scam.” Trump relentlessly criticized 2016 rival Hillary Clinton for using personal emails for State Department correspondence that included classified topics.
The Presidential Records Act includes a provision that “the President’s records are automatically transferred to the legal custody of the archivist as soon as the President leaves office.” Presidential records may include documents, photographs and letters.
The National Archives reached out to Trump after realizing that key documents from his administration had not been returned, including Trump’s letters to Kim Jong Un, a letter former President Barack Obama left for Trump, and the 2019 Sharpgate The event includes an altered weather map. According to the Washington Post.
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
This isn’t the first time Trump has been embroiled in controversy over his record. In 2018, Politico reported that employees use clear Scotch tape to return documents that Trump had torn apart.
According to Maggie Haberman’s forthcoming book on Trump, shared by Axios, White House staff also thought Trump was behind White House toilets, which were periodically found filled with torn papers.
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