Trump kept some of the government's most classified docs, letter says


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.

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.
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.
-
The people who raffle their homes
Under The Radar Offer the chance to win your house for £2 a ticket? It's simple and can make thousands but it's not stress-free
-
Stereophonic: an 'extraordinary, electrifying odyssey'
The Week Recommends David Adjmi's Broadway hit about a 1970s rock band struggling to record their second album comes to the West End
-
Shifty: a 'kaleidoscopic' portrait of late 20th-century Britain
The Week Recommends Adam Curtis' 'wickedly funny' documentary charts the country's decline using archive footage
-
'Is it even possible to enjoy a trip without contributing to the problem?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump ramps up Iran threats, demands 'surrender'
Speed Read Trump met with his top aides in the Situation Room on Tuesday
-
Travel ban: It's back and it's bigger
Feature Trump revives a controversial travel ban, targeting mostly poor, nonwhite countries
-
'Big Oil does not accept responsibility'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
ABA sues Trump over 'law firm intimidation policy'
Speed Read Trump has 'used the vast powers of the executive branch to coerce lawyers,' the lawsuit said
-
Judge orders Trump's NIH grant cuts reversed
Speed Read Trump had attempted to slash more than $1 billion in research grants
-
Trump leaves G7 early, warns Tehran to evacuate
Speed Read Trump claimed to have left the summit due to ongoing issues in the Middle East
-
Ábrego García: Why the White House blinked
Feature Kilmar Ábrego García returns to the U.S. after being illegally deported, but his legal fight is far from over