House Committee asks National Archives to search Donald Trump's storage unit
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Carolyn Maloney says the storage facility and other properties may contain presidential records that were not the focus of previous searches.
The House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the National Archives on Tuesday requesting a review to determine whether former President Donald Trump has retained any additional presidential records at his storage facility in Florida.
Last week, at least two US government documents with classified marks were found in Donald Trump's storage unit in West Palm Beach.
Committee chair Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., addressed the letter to Acting United States Archivist Debra Steidel Wall on Tuesday, saying the National Archives must “take responsibility for custody, control, preservation and access to” all presidential documents.
Maloney made reference to Trump's lawyers hiring an outside team to conduct searches for other materials at other Trump properties, in addition to Mar-a-Lago, The Washington Post reported last week.
The search was reportedly conducted after a district judge told Trump's legal team to continue searching for documents, after the Department of Justice (DOJ) raised concerns that not all materials had been returned.
The National Archives has said they believe Trump still possesses at least some White House records that should have been released when his presidency ended.
Maloney said Trump failed to turn over presidential records and classified documents on multiple occasions after the National Archives made multiple requests, and Trump appears to have continued to withhold government property after the FBI conducted its search of Mar-a-Lago in August. and found more than 11,000 records.
“I am deeply concerned by former President Trump's blatant disregard for the [Presidential Records Act],” she said, referring to the federal law that requires presidents to keep their records for the government to obtain after their presidencies.