Records From the Trump White House Still Missing
The National Archives and Records Administration said on Wednesday that some records from the Trump administration have not been recovered. That’s a troubling development given that the president’s legal team is battling the Justice Department over who will have the records once he leaves office. The Archives have not said whether the missing documents are in Trump’s possession or were stolen by his aides. They simply cited the ongoing DOJ investigation as the basis for their statement.
Navarro used a private email account for presidential business
Peter Navarro, a former adviser to the Trump administration, was sued by the Justice Department after it was discovered that he used a private email account for presidential business. He is accused of using a ProtonMail account to send and receive emails while working for the White House. He was also accused of violating the Presidential Records Act by failing to turn over presidential records to the National Archives.
Navarro, who has denied any wrongdoing, was fired from his position in the White House on May 22. The Department of Justice claims Navarro used his private email account to discuss the deployment of National Guard teams and the use of COVID medications. However, the Justice Department claims Navarro did not forward the emails to his government email account and is suing him for contempt of Congress.
48 folders with classified markings were empty
The FBI says it seized more than a hundred documents and 30 boxes of materials from the Trump White House. Investigators are now looking into possible crimes, including obstruction of justice and espionage act violations. They are also trying to determine what was in the empty folders that were marked classified.
The FBI’s investigation found that some of the empty folders contained documents with sensitive markings. They included seven “top secret” documents in the president’s office and 11 more in a storage room. Trump and his staff secretary, the White House staff secretary, are a key element in the White House. While the president’s staff secretary oversees the flow of paper to the president, the contents of these documents are still classified. However, the empty folders are a worrying sign for federal investigators. The information contained inside them might be difficult to find if they are not in their original condition.
More than 11,000 documents were seized in raid of Mar-a-Lago home
The FBI seized more than 11,000 documents at the Mar-a-Lago home as part of a federal criminal investigation into President Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents. The raid came after the president failed to comply with a grand jury subpoena. The raid also allegedly uncovered more than 100 unclassified government documents and dozens of empty folders with classified banners. Investigators are also seeking more surveillance footage from the Mar-a-Lago property.
The documents were seized from Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8, according to a document unsealed by US District Judge Aileen Cannon. The documents were categorized by the DOJ and are potentially privileged.
NARA seeks certification from Trump that he has turned over all presidential records
The National Archives is seeking a written certification from President Donald Trump that he has turned over all presidential files. The request comes after staff at the Archives said they were unsure whether or not the president had turned over all of the records during his administration. In February, NARA officials told Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York that some of the presidential files had been discovered in boxes in the residence of the president.
Trump’s lawyers have said that the president determined that a search for presidential records was necessary and that he and his staff searched boxes moved from the White House to Florida to find such documents. However, the Justice Department has said this is not sufficient, because the subpoena requires the president to hand over all of his documents, regardless of where they are located. Nevertheless, Trump has said he knew of the full inventory of his papers.
