The US National Archives and Records Administration asked the Justice Department to investigate former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) for taking several boxes of documents from the White Houselocal media reported Wednesday citing official sources.
Those sources explained that the Department of Justice is still analyzing the petition, and has not taken a decision on the matter.
National Archives made this request after recovering in January 15 boxes with documents and other items, including letters to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which they were at Trump’s residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
When they leave power, U.S. presidents must hand over to the National Archives all letters, notes, emails, and other written communications that are related to his official duties as representative, for conservation.
The fact that Trump took those boxes to Florida raises questions about whether could have violated the Presidential Records Actwhich requires the preservation of such documents, although the the ability of the National Archives to penalize those who violate the law is very limited.
As explained Trump advisors to The Washington Post on condition of anonymity, the boxes contained gifts, letters from world leaders and other correspondence, but they denied that the former president acted maliciously.
Among the documents were correspondence sent to him by the North Korean leader during the bilateral thaw process, which Trump once described as “love letters”; as well as a letter left in the Oval Office by his predecessor, Barack Obama (2009-2017).
Taking those boxes has not been the only problem Trump has posed to the National Archives: the former president often shattered official documents, that were sent to that US agency still in pieces or glued together, according to the Post.
Some of those documents broken and then pasted with cellophane they are among those received last month by the House committee investigating the January 2021 assault on the Capitol, according to the newspaper.
The law provides for penalties of up to three years in prison for those who act maliciously when it comes to hiding or destroying documents, but demonstrating that is difficult and the experts consulted by the Post see very unlikely that there are consequences of what happened for Trump
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