The National Archives and Records Administration said the administration of former President Donald Trump did not hand over all of the presidential documents and that the National Archives will consult with the Justice Department about whether it will take steps to restore them.
On Sept. 13, a congressional committee requested an urgent review of the National Archives and Records after administration officials admitted they did not know if all presidential documents had been handed over from the Trump White House.
In a letter Friday to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Acting Director of the Archives Debra Wall said her administration is aware that some White House employees conducted official business using personal email accounts that were not copied or forwarded to their official accounts, in violation of the Presidential Records Act.
“The National Archives and Records Administration has been able to obtain such records from a number of former officials and will continue to seek the return of similar types of presidential records from former officials,” Wall said in the letter.
She said the Department of Archives and Records, which is tasked with maintaining government records, will consult with the Department of Justice “whether action needs to be taken to restore records that have been illegally seized.”
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Chair of the Oversight Committee, said in a statement that she will do everything in her power to ensure all records are returned and prevent future abuse.
“Former President Trump and his senior staff have shown a complete disregard for the rule of law and our national security by not returning presidential papers as required by law,” Maloney said in a statement.
Trump’s representatives did not respond to a request for comment. The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into Trump’s storage of government documents, some classified as top secret, at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, since leaving office in January 2021.
