WASHINGTON—The House Oversight Committee opened an investigation Thursday into
handling of official records following news that 15 boxes of material were recently recovered at the former president’s Florida estate.
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney
(D., N.Y.), chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, sent a letter to the National Archives and Records Administration seeking more information about the records.
“I am deeply concerned that these records were not provided to NARA promptly at the end of the Trump Administration and that they appear to have been removed from the White House in violation of the Presidential Records Act,” she wrote. “I am also concerned by recent reports that while in office, President Trump repeatedly attempted to destroy presidential records, which could constitute additional serious violations of the PRA.”
The letter asks for more information about the contents of the boxes and the agency’s communications with Mr. Trump’s representatives by Feb. 18.
Mr. Trump in statements has characterized his interactions with the National Archives as professional.
“Following collaborative and respectful discussions, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) arranged for the transport of boxes that contained Presidential Records in compliance with the Presidential Records Act,” he said Wednesday. “Much of this material will someday be displayed in the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library for the public to view my administration’s incredible accomplishments for the American people.”
“The papers were given easily and without conflict and on a very friendly basis, which is different from the accounts being drawn up by the Fake News Media,” he said in a statement Thursday. “In fact, it was viewed as routine and ‘no big deal.’”
The National Archives said Monday afternoon that it arranged for the transport of the records in mid-January and that talks with Mr. Trump’s representatives began in 2021. A person familiar with the records said they include a letter former President
Barack Obama
left for his successor and correspondence between Mr. Trump and North Korean leader
The question over documents comes as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol has sought Trump administration records from the Archives. The Supreme Court last month denied Mr. Trump’s emergency request to block the House panel from obtaining White House records related to the attack, which attempted to disrupt Congress from certifying President Biden’s victory.
The committee has requested a range of material from the National Archives, including calendars and schedules documenting meetings or events Mr. Trump attended and logs of White House visitors and calls from Jan. 6.
The National Archives recently confirmed that some Trump presidential records it had received had been torn up.
“As has been reported in the press since 2018, White House records management officials during the Trump Administration recovered and taped together some of the torn-up records,” the agency said in a statement. “These were turned over to the National Archives at the end of the Trump Administration, along with a number of torn-up records that had not been reconstructed by the White House.”
Separately on Wednesday, the National Archives and Records Administration asked the Justice Department to review Mr. Trump’s handling of White House records, a person familiar with the matter said. The Archives declined to comment.
Write to Alex Leary at [email protected]
Copyright ©2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
