Federal indictment accuses Trump of lying and scheming to keep documents he knew were classified
Federal indictment accuses Trump of lying and scheming to keep documents he knew were classified
Donald Trump And the Presidential Records Act
In response to allegations that former president Donald Trump retained secret information for which he is currently being investigated by the federal government, the National Archives is disputing those allegations.
The Archives, in an unusual move, debunked assertions that Trump was permitted to retain classified records under the Presidential Records Act on Friday by issuing a public statement.
The Presidential Records Act (PRA) and recent media disclosures have sparked a lot of interest in presidential records. The National Archives and Documents Administration (NARA) issued a statement on Friday afternoon stating that the PRA mandates that all documents created by Presidents (and Vice-Presidents) be turned over to NARA after their administrations.
Tim Parlatore, a former Trump attorney who worked on the classified records issue before departing the former President's legal counsel in recent weeks, mischaracterized the Presidential Records Act numerous times during TV appearances this week, including on CNN Thursday night.
The National Archives categorically refuted the assertion in a statement released on Friday, claiming that "there is no history, practice, or provision in law for presidents to take official records with them when they leave the office to sort through, such as for two years as described in some reports."
In response to questions over Parlatore's remarks that presidents had two years to review their records after leaving office, According to CNN, Jason R. Baron, a former director of litigation at the National Archives and Records Administration, "The statement is false."
"A President only has the right to review his records while he is in office to distinguish what may be considered "personal records" of his from official records covered by the Presidential Records Act," Baron continued.
After the indictment was unsealed on Friday, Trump posted on his Truth Social account and continued to misrepresent the Presidential Records Act. "This is absurd! I may do all of this by the Presidential Records Act.