Wow, The US National Archives Says Donald Trump Takes Secret Documents When He Leaves The White House

Illustration of Donald Trump leaving the White House. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - Former President Donald Trump brought classified documents to his Florida home after leaving the White House, the US National Archives and Records Administration said in a letter to Congress on Friday about 15 boxes of documents that were recently discovered.

The US National Archives said it had notified the Justice Department, which would handle any investigations.

"NARA has identified items marked as classified national security information in the box," said David Ferriero, United States archivist, in a letter to US Democratic Representative Carolyn Maloney, chair of the House of Representatives oversight committee.

The Maloney-led committee has been investigating document issues related to Donald Trump, who left the White House in January 2021.

"This new disclosure deepens my concerns about former President Trump's flagrant disregard for federal records laws and the potential impact on our historical record," Maloney said in a statement.

In this regard, a Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The letter from Ferriero also said that some White House staff did official work using unofficial e-mail accounts, which were not copied or forwarded to official e-mail accounts, and were in the process of retrieving some of the missing records.

The Washington Post reported last week that some documents brought into Trump's home were marked as classified, which could increase the legal pressure Trump or his aides could face.

To note, the Presidential Records Law requires the preservation of memos, letters, notes, emails, faxes and other written communications related to the official duties of the president.

Claiming executive privilege, Trump sued unsuccessfully to stop the release of records from his White House, including to a House elected committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attacks on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.