The National Archives and Records Administration has asked the Justice Department to examine whether former President Donald Trump’s handling of White House records violated federal law, two administration officials told NBC News.
One official said it's unclear whether the Justice Department would take up the request, saying it’s all very preliminary. The Washington Post first reported the National Archives’ request.
The Justice Department and the National Archives declined requests for comment. A representative for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The National Archives said Monday that Trump had to return 15 boxes of documents that were improperly taken from the White House.
In mid-January, the National Archives "arranged for the transport from the Trump Mar-a-Lago property in Florida to the National Archives of 15 boxes that contained Presidential records, following discussions with President Trump’s representatives in 2021,” the agency said in a statement.
Among the items Trump had to return were correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that Trump has described as “beautiful letters,” two sources told The Post, as well as a handwritten letter that former President Barack Obama had left behind in the Oval Office for his successor. NBC News hasn’t independently confirmed the contents of the boxes.
The National Archives said items covered under the Presidential Records Act should have been turned over at the end of the Trump administration. The act mandates that all presidential records must be properly preserved by each administration so a complete set of records is transferred to the National Archives at the end of the administration, the agency’s archivist said.
The National Archives previously found that Trump had ripped up some White House documents preserved by the agency, which government officials had to tape back together.
