The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) on Tuesday issued a statement denying reports that the organization conducted a "raid" on former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort to obtain documents from his time in the White House.
"Throughout the course of the last year, NARA obtained the cooperation of Trump representatives to locate Presidential records that had not been transferred to the National Archives at the end of the Trump administration," the National Archives wrote in a statement, according to Newsweek.
"When a representative informed NARA in December 2021 that they located some records, NARA arranged for them to be securely transported to Washington. NARA officials did not visit or 'raid' the Mar-a-Lago property."
In a prior statement issued on Monday, the National Archives said, "As required by the Presidential Records Act the records should have been transferred to NARA from the White House at the end of the Trump Administration in January 2021.
"In mid-January 2022, NARA arranged for the transport from the Trump Mar-a-Lago property in Florida to the National Archives of 15 boxes that contained Presidential records, following discussions with President Trump's representatives in 2021."
Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero noted to the Palm Beach Daily News, "The Presidential Records Act is critical to our democracy, in which the government is held accountable by the people.
"Whether through the creation of adequate and proper documentation, sound records management practices, the preservation of records, or the timely transfer of them to the National Archives at the end of an administration, there should be no question as to need for both diligence and vigilance. Records matter."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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