US ex-president
Trump illegally hoarded top-secret documents in his private Mar-a-Lago residence
As President, Donald Trump was known for his lax handling of files and notes,
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Inside the 15 boxes of White House records kept at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence was also classified and top-secret information. According to a letter from the National Archives and Records Administration.
The agency’s letter is another in a series of Trump’s handling of sensitive and even classified information during his tenure as president and after leaving the White House. The secret documents in the boxes could possibly also attract federal investigators who are responsible for monitoring how government secrets are handled. So far, however, both the Justice Department and the FBI have indicated that they will investigate the matter.
Federal law prohibits depositing classified information in unauthorized locations. In the case of the ex-president, however, the situation is complicated because Trump could argue that, as president, he ultimately decides on the release of documents and their classified status.
In addition, the prosecutors would have to prove intentional or grossly negligent behavior. In any case, Trump is open to accusations of hypocrisy for having slammed Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign for using a private email server as secretary of state. The FBI investigated at the time, but ultimately recommended no charges.
Donald Trump denies search operation
Trump denied reports of disputes with the National Archives. In a statement, he said: “The National Archives have not ‘found’ anything, but presidential files have been turned over to them upon request in a usual and routine process.” It goes on to say that journalists wanted to give the impression that the President of the United States was working like a documentarist in a state archive while he was busy with other things. “If it were anyone other than ‘Trump’, there would be no story here,” Trump said.
The agency’s letter also describes that social media messages from the Trump administration were not recorded and properly preserved. The letter also said the agency learned that White House officials often used unofficial messenger accounts and personal phones to conduct official business. These employees did not copy or forward their official messages as required by the Presidential Records Act. The letter goes on to say that paper documents torn up by the ex-president were handed over to the agency. “Although White House staffers restored and taped together some of the torn records during the Trump administration, a number of other torn records that were transferred have not been reconstructed by the White House,” the letter said. Trump had almost habitually crumpled and torn up notes and letters.
legacy of the Nixon era
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chair of the Oversight Committee, said that “these new revelations add to my concern about former President Trump’s blatant disregard of the Federal Records Act and the potential impact on our historical archives.”
“I am committed to uncovering the full extent of former President Trump and his top advisers’ violations of the Presidential Records Act and using these insights to drive important reforms and prevent future violations.”
The Presidential Records Act was enacted in 1978 after former President Richard Nixon wanted to destroy documents related to the Watergate scandal. The law states that all presidential records are the property of the US government and do not belong to the president himself. A law punishable by up to three years in prison makes it a crime to conceal or intentionally destroy government records.
Swell: AP, Washington Post