National Archives says nearly two months after the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid, Trump’s documents are still missing from the White House — and warns that the DOJ could potentially be involved in recovering “illegally removed” files
- The National Archives responded to a request for information from the House Oversight Committee, led by Chair Carolyn Maloney
- Archivist Debra Steidel Wall declined to say whether Donald Trump himself was in possession of presidential files
- “It is outrageous that these records are not being considered for 20 months [Trump] leave office,” Rep. Maloney said in a statement emailed to
The National Archives said on Friday that it still does not have some records from Donald Trump’s White House
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is still missing records from the Trump administration, which it requested after the former president’s term ended, the agency said in a letter Friday.
“The National Archives has confirmed to the Oversight Committee that it has still not received all of the Presidential records from the Trump White House,” said Acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall.
Wall said the Department of Justice (DOJ) is being consulted on whether White House officials should “initiate a lawsuit to recover unlawfully removed records.”
She suggested that the Trump administration violated the Presidential Records Act by using “electronic messaging accounts that were not duplicated or forwarded to their official electronic messaging accounts.”
It comes nearly two months after the FBI’s unannounced search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion sparked a firestorm of outrage from the right, with a vast majority of Republicans calling it a political move.
Wall would not say whether Trump himself was still unlawfully holding records, citing the ongoing Justice Department investigation into the former president’s handling of classified documents.
The Friday letter, received by on Sunday morning, was in response to a query from House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).
“The National Archives have confirmed to the Oversight Committee that they have still not received all of the President’s records from the Trump White House. The President’s records are the property of the American people and it is outrageous that these records remain unreported for 20 months after former President Trump left office,” Maloney told in an emailed statement .
The update came in response to a letter from House Oversight Committee chair Carolyn Maloney
“Former President Trump and his senior staff have completely disregarded the rule of law and our national security by failing to return the President’s records as required by law.”
She vowed to “continue to do everything in my power to ensure that all presidential files are returned from the Trump White House to the custody of the government and that these abuses never happen again.”
Regarding the lack of communications from Trump aides, Wall’s letter referred to the DOJ’s efforts to recover official messages sent through a “personal email account” of former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro.
Navarro is currently on trial for contempt of congressional charges arising from his refusal to comply with a Jan. 6 subpoena from the House Select Committee.
Wall responded to Maloney’s inquiry as to whether Trump possessed any documents with a referral to the DOJ.
“Regarding the second question, whether former President Trump turned over all of the President’s records, we respectfully refer you to the Department of Justice in light of the ongoing investigation,” the letter said.
The records are reportedly still missing nearly two months after the FBI’s unannounced raid of Mar-a-Lago
has reached out to Trump’s spokesman for comment.
In a court filing last month, DOJ officials said the FBI found about four dozen empty folders with non-disclosure marks when agents raided Trump’s Florida resort.
43 of them were in Trump’s personal office, the filing says.
A previous release indicated that the FBI seized 11 sets of top secret or classified documents during its Aug. 8 raid.
Trump himself has publicly challenged the National Archives and Justice Department investigations on multiple occasions, while denying any wrongdoing.
He told Fox News in a recent interview that he hasn’t illegally removed any classified documents because he can declassify anything “even if he thinks about it.”
The ex-president has also attacked the authorities themselves, declaring at a recent rally in Pennsylvania: “The FBI and Justice Department have become vicious monsters controlled by left-wing villains, lawyers and the media, who tell them what to do.” do have. ‘
The letter was received by on Sunday morning