House panel asks National Archives to determine if Trump retains sensitive govt records

Washington, Sep 14

The chair of a US House of Representatives committee has asked the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to determine whether former President Donald Trump still possesses sensitive government records.

On Tuesday, House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney sent a letter to acting Archivist of the US Debra Steidel Wall to express concern that "sensitive presidential records may remain out of the control and custody" of the federal government, reports Xinhua news agency.

"In light of the serious risk that Trump may still be retaining sensitive government records at Mar-a-Lago or his other properties, I urge NARA to seek a personal certification from Donald Trump that he has surrendered all presidential records that he illegally removed from the White House after leaving office," Maloney, a Democrat from New York, wrote.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating whether Trump mishandled presidential and government records -- some of them allegedly highly classified -- when and after leaving office.

Federal agents searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on August 8 and seized 33 groups of items, including documents bearing classification markings, according to court filings.

Trump's attorneys and the DOJ are fighting in court about how those seized materials should be reviewed and used.

The former President has lambasted the Mar-a-Lago "raid" as well as the DOJ probe and denied any wrongdoing.