National Archives Remove Boxes of Documents from Mar-a-Lago
As the January 6th committee continues their wide-ranging, heavily-criticized campaign against the former administration, there are now reports that Donald Trump’s Florida home has been raided by the National Archives.
Weeks ago, Trump had filed a lawsuit that would have prevented the J6 committee from accessing many of the White House records from his time in office, which are usually stored in the National Archives. And while this lawsuit failed, and the National Archives began to hand over documents to the committee, there is a new controversy looming as the institution has now raided Mar-a-Lago.
The National Archives and Records Administration last month retrieved 15 boxes of documents and other items from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence because the material should have been turned over to the agency when he left the White House, Archives officials said Monday.
Those in the know deny that there was anything ill-willed about the situation.
The recovery of the boxes from Trump’s Florida resort raises new concerns about his adherence to the Presidential Records Act, which requires the preservation of memos, letters, notes, emails, faxes and other written communications related to a president’s official duties.
Trump advisers deny any nefarious intent and said the boxes contained mementos, gifts, letters from world leaders and other correspondence. The items included correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which Trump once described as “love letters,” as well as a letter left for his successor by President Barack Obama, according to two people familiar with the contents.
While the raid had no known connection to the January 6th committee’s work, there is little doubt that the group will be curious as to what was left in DC and what was taken to Florida.