Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) – A congressional committee on Tuesday demanded an urgent review of the U.S. National Archives after staff members at the agency admitted they did not know whether all presidential records from Donald Trump’s administration had been turned over. House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney also asked the Archives, the federal agency charged with maintaining government records, to seek written certification from the Republican ex-president that he has turned over all presidential records and classified material. Maloney, a Democrat, also wants to confirm that he has not made copies or moved them anywhere other than that agency or the Justice Department. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Trump faces a criminal investigation by the Justice Department into keeping government records — some classified as top secret, including “top secret” — at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after he leaves office in January 2021. The FBI seized more than 11,000 records, including about 100 classified documents, in a court-authorized search Aug. 8 at Mar-a-Lago. A federal judge is weighing how to handle the documents as the investigation continues. read more Maloney in a letter described the National Archives’ efforts over several months, later joined by the Justice Department, to recover government property that Trump removed from the White House and transferred to Mar-a-Lago. National Archives staff “recently advised the committee that the agency is uncertain whether all presidential records are in custody,” Maloney wrote, adding that she is deeply concerned that sensitive records are outside the custody of the U.S. government. “The Committee requests that NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) conduct an urgent review of presidential records by the Trump administration to identify any presidential records or categories of presidential records, either written or electronic, that NARA has reason to believe may still be outside the agency’s custody and control,” Maloney said in her letter to Debra Wall, Acting Archivist of the United States. The National Archives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump’s removal of documents from the White House was a clear violation of a federal law called the Presidential Records Act, Maloney said. The committee is concerned that Trump delayed their return for months and that his spokesman misled investigators over the summer about whether any remained at Mar-a-Lago, Maloney added. Maloney asked the Archives for an initial assessment of its findings by September 27. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report by Doina Chiacu. Edited by Will Dunham Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
