During the last days of Donald Trump’s presidency the records of his era were not returned to the government, although the White House lawyer informed him that they should return them, according to an email sent in May 2021 by a National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) official.
The attorney National Archives and Records Administration chief Gary Stern wrote: “We also understand that approximately two dozen boxes of original presidential records were kept in the White House Residence during President Trump’s last year in office and they were not transferred to NARA, despite a determination by Pat Cipollone in the last days of the administration that they should be. I have also raised this concern with Scott in recent weeks.”
When he mentions “Scott”, he is referring to Scott Gast, another Trump attorney who was copied in the message.
CNN confirmed the content of the email through a source close to the fact, the email was first mentioned by The Washington Post.
In the text also highlights the efforts of the National Archives , in charge of collecting and classifying presidential material, to recover documents from the Trump era as an investigation into the handling of presidential records intensifies .
On August 8, the FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, property of the former president, and federal agents recovered 11 sets of classified documents, including some materials marked “top secret/SCI”, one of the highest levels of classification.
In January, the National Archives d They said that at least 15 boxes of White House records were recovered from the Palm Beach property, including some that were classified.
A source close to the incident said the Archives were aware that White House records management had identified missing documents even before Trump left office.
Furthermore, he reported that NARA was aware of the two dozen boxes at the residence even while Trump was in office .