National Archives requests DOJ probe of Trump’s handling of White House records

The National Archives and Records Administration has requested that the Justice Department look into whether the way former President Donald Trump handled White House records was in violation of federal law.

So far, it remains unclear if the Justice Department will actually take up the request, as one administration official said everything is preliminary at this time.

On Monday, the National Archives said that the former president had to return 15 boxes worth of documents that had been improperly removed from the White House.

According to an agency statement, in mid-January the Archives “arranged for the transport from the Trump Mar-a-Lago property in Florida to the National Archives of 15 boxes that contained Presidential records, following discussions with President Trump’s representatives in 2021.”

Included in the items that Trump had to return, as reported by the Washington Post, were correspondence between the former president and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that Trump previously described as “beautiful letters.”

The documents also included a handwritten letter from former President Barack Obama that he had left in the Oval Office for his successor. So far, the contents of the boxes have not been independently confirmed by NBC news. 

The National Archives noted that all items covered under the Presidential Records Act were supposed to be turned over following the conclusion of the Trump administration.

According to the act, all presidential records are required to be preserved by each administration in order that a complete set of records may be transferred to the National Archives ad the end of each administration.

Previously, the National Archives found that Trump had attempted to destroy some of the White House documents by ripping them up, which government officials taped back together.