Trump kept some of the government's most classified docs, letter says
![Man wearing a Trump hat nearby Mar-a-Lago.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iVFGiTTBnUAbhGKkZ3z6cZ-415-80.jpg)
The National Archives and Records Administration recovered more than 700 pages of classified documents — including some labeled "special access program materials," one of the government's most secret classifications — from former President Donald Trump's Florida mansion back in January, according to a letter released by the Archives on Tuesday. Trump's NARA liaison John Solomon had published the text of the letter Monday night.
The materials were among those in the 15 boxes recovered from Mar-a-Lago earlier this year, and do not include any of the records obtained back in June and in the search on Aug. 8, Politico and The Washington Post report.
In a letter dated May 10, U.S. archivist Debra Steidel Wall alerted Trump lawyer Evan Cocoran to the growing concern inside the Justice Department regarding the documents. She described how Archives officials had discussed the missing presidential records with Trump representatives for nearly a year prior to the January search, The New York Times summarizes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Steidel Wall also told Corcoran that NARA would hand the 15 boxes of recovered materials over to the FBI, which would investigate "whether those records were handled in an unlawful manner" and any damage resulting from improper handling, the letter states. Further, she noted how her group gave Trump's team time to review the materials, after alerting his lawyers on April 12 of the Archives' plan to turn the documents over to the FBI.
Trump's attorneys had hoped to delay FBI involvement so the former president could decide whether to assert executive privilege over the documents; but "Steidel Wall ultimately rebuffed their request after consulting with the Department of Justice," the Post continues. Read more at The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Did Kamala Harris kill brat?
Talking Point Pop culture phenomenon co-opted by presidential candidate sparks claims brat is over
By Jamie Timson, The Week UK Published
-
Paris Olympics: will it be a success?
Today's Big Question Organisers hope the 'spectacle' of the 2024 Games will lift the cloud of negativity that has hung over the build-up
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 20 - 26 July
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Netanyahu makes controversial address
Speed Reads Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress denounced Gaza war protestors
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The GOP is Donald Trump Jr.'s party now
In The Spotlight The former president's gun-loving, live-streaming adult son has emerged as more than just his father's namesake — he's become a Republican powerhouse of his own
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
For God and country: is religion in politics making a comeback?
Talking Point There are many MPs of faith in the new Labour government despite it being the most openly secular House of Commons in history
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The attack on Donald Trump
Opinion We've seen this kind of shooter before
By Susan Caskie Published
-
74 things Donald Trump has said about women
Feature The former president has a long history of controversial remarks about the opposite sex
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
DHS opens review of Trump assassination attempt
Speed Read An independent panel will investigate the Secret Service's handling of the shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Can Kamala Harris beat Trump?
Today's Big Question Some senior Democrats are unsure the vice-president can win in November even as party closes ranks behind her
By The Week UK Published