The National Archives asked all former presidents and vice presidents to check their areas for any stray classified documents.
They’re concerned now that these documents have been discovered in possession of so many people.
First on CNN: National Archives asks former presidents and vice presidents to check for classified and presidential documentsThe National Archives is formally asking former presidents and vice presidents to re-check their personal records for any classified documents or other presidential records in the wake of classified documents discovered in the homes of former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and President Joe Biden over the last year.The Archives sent a letter Thursday to representatives of former presidents and vice presidents from the last six presidential administrations covered by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) – from former President Ronald Reagan’s White House to the present.The letter, which was reviewed by CNN, requests that they check their files to ensure that material thought to be personal does not “inadvertently” contain presidential records that are required by law to be turned over to the Archives.“The responsibility to comply with the PRA does not diminish after the end of an administration,” the letter states. “Therefore, we request that you conduct an assessment of any materials held outside of NARA that relate to the Administration for which you serve as a designated representative under the PRA, to determine whether bodies of materials previously assumed to be personal in nature might inadvertently contain Presidential or Vice Presidential records subject to the PRA, whether classified or unclassified.”
Ryan King of the Washington Examiner has more on this:
Under the Presidential Records Act, which was referenced in the letter, presidents and vice presidents are required to relinquish presidential material to the agency to preserve for historical purposes. The law lacks teeth, and there is no criminal penalty for those who fail to comply. However, mishandling classified documents is subject to other laws.Straggling files marked as classified have recently been discovered at residences or locations associated with former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, and former Vice President Mike Pence.The agency sent its letter to representatives for former Presidents Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan, as well as former Vice Presidents Pence, Biden, Dick Cheney, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle, per CNN.
It’s fascinating how the procedures have changed since last summer.
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