Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are accusing acting National Archivist Debra Wall of misrepresenting the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) negotiations with lawyers for former President Donald Trump.
Wall informed attorney Evan Corcoran on May 10 that President Joe Biden directed her to determine whether or not Trump should benefit from executive privilege post-presidency. After consulting with the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel, Wall rejected the request, she wrote to Corcoran. However, in an Aug. 16 letter to committee Republicans, Wall wrote that NARA “has not been involved in the DOJ investigation or any searches that it has conducted” since January 2022, so she could not comply with a document request.
The Republicans note the Corcoran letter in their response to Wall, calling her claim that NARA does not have relevant documents “puzzling.” (RELATED: Republicans Gear Up For Oversight Battle Over FBI’s Raid Of Mar-A-Lago)
“Transparency is particularly important in the post-pandemic era when Americans are lacking trust in our nation’s institutions. Congress, and particularly the Oversight Committee, has a duty to provide transparency and accountability for the American people. We request that you revisit your prior communications to Oversight Republicans and amend your prior statements as necessary,” all 20 Republican members of the House Oversight Committee wrote.
Read the letter here:
NARA Followup by Michael Ginsberg on Scribd
Following more than a year of reported negotiations between Trump, NARA, and the Department of Justice, FBI agents raided Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8. They seized 20 boxes of binders of photographs, a handwritten note, an executive grant of clemency for Roger Stone and information about the President of France during the Monday evening raid, according to a property receipt reviewed by the Daily Caller. The material included eleven sets of classified documents.
“NARA’s singling out of President Trump’s handling of official records stands in stark contrast to the way they have treated far clearer violations committed by politicians and officials who are not Republicans. The agency’s recent failure to comply with Committee Republicans’ request for information further jeopardizes their credibility in the eyes of the American people. It’s clear we need answers about NARA’s coordination with the Department of Justice and Oversight Republicans are determined to hold them accountable,” Comer told the Daily Caller.
Trump moved to have the affidavit detailing the government’s rationale for the search unsealed, which Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered with heavy redactions. The affidavit revealed that Trump turned over 15 boxes to NARA in January 2022. Those boxes included 184 classified documents, including 25 marked top secret, 92 labeled secret, and 67 marked confidential.
Trump also claimed that federal agents seized three passports from Mar-a-Lago, as well as documents protected by attorney-client privilege. The former president and his attorneys requested the appointment of a special master to review the seized material. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon signaled on Aug. 28 that she is likely to approve the request.