The National Archives and Records Administration asked the Justice Department to investigate if former President Donald Trump violated federal records laws when he took official White House documents to Mar-a-Lago upon leaving office.

According to the Washington Post, the request came after officials recovered 15 boxes of materials from Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence that were not returned to the government as they should have been.

The National Archives noted that Trump and his team had arranged transport for 15 boxes of materials to be returned from Mar-a-Lago. It added that Trump and his staff were still looking for additional records that belong to the agency, Business Insider reported.

According to the Post, some of the items included in the retrieved documents from Mar-a-Lago were letters to the former president from North Korean leader Kim Jung Un and a note from former President Barack Obama.

A person briefed on the matter told The New York Times that the National Archives found what it believed to be classified information in documents Trump had taken with him from the White House.

The person said the discovery prompted the National Archives to ask for guidance from the Department of Justice (DOJ). The person noted that Archives officials suspect that Trump had violated the Presidential Records Act after he took the boxes containing presidential documents and memorabilia when he left office.

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Classified Documents Retrieved in Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago Stash

Senior officials would have to decide whether to open an investigation with the referral to the Justice Department, who told the National Archives to have its inspector general examine the matter.

An inspector general is required to let the Justice Department know about discovering any classified materials found outside authorized government channels.

According to Seattle Times, prosecuting Donald Trump due to the classified documents would be extremely difficult, and it would pit the Justice Department against the former president at a time when Attorney General Merrick Garland is trying to take the department out of the realm of politics.

Two of Trump's chiefs of staff and the White House counsel's office reportedly warned that the former president's actions would violate federal recordkeeping laws. Trump was required to leave the documents, letters, and gifts in the federal government's custody for storing by the National Archives.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump told the Post that he had "collaborative and respectful" arrangements with the National Archives with regards to the transport of boxes that contained presidential documents "in compliance with the Presidential Records Act." 

He said it was a "great honor" to work with the agency, adding that "much of this material will someday be displayed in the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library."

"For the public to view my Administration's incredible accomplishments for the American People," he added. 

Donald Trump White House Documents

Some of Donald Trump's White House documents given to the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack were reportedly torn up and taped back together.

In a statement, the National Archives earlier confirmed Trump's practice of tearing up records, as cited by press reports in 2018.

The Archives said that White House records management officials from the Trump administration recovered and taped together the shredded documents that were turned over to the agency at the end of Trump's presidency, "along with a number of torn-up records" that the White House had not reconstructed.

The select committee earlier asked for Trump's White House documents in connection with the probe. The Archives turned over the required documents after the Supreme Court rejected Trump's request to block the release of documents to the committee.

The reconstructed documents were reportedly among the more than 700 pages already turned over to the January 6 committee late last month after Donald Trump lost the court battle.

The Presidential Records Act requires memos, letters, emails, and other documents to be kept and given to the National Archives at the end of every administration.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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