Donald Trump took classified items to Mar-a-Lago, US National Archives says
- The 15 boxes of White House records included national security information, the agency confirms, saying the matter has been referred to the Justice Department
- The Archives earlier revealed some files turned in had been torn up by Trump and taped back together by White House staff, while others were not reconstructed
The 15 boxes of White House records that were stored at former US president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence contained items marked as classified national security information, the National Archives and Records Administration said Friday.
The agency said the matter has been referred to the Justice Department.
In a response to a February 9 letter to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, the National Archives confirmed reports that Trump took government records with him down to Florida after he left office in January 2021.
House lawmakers had opened an investigation and the National Archives has reportedly asked the Justice Department to look into the matter. The Justice Department and the FBI have not yet said what, if anything, they will do.
The letter from the archivists also stated that certain social media records were not captured and preserved by the Trump administration.
And that the agency learned that White House staff frequently conducted official business using unofficial messaging accounts and personal phones.
