Documents obtained through a FOIA request dispute the National Archives and Records Administration’s claim that it was not involved with the criminal investigation into the classified documents found at former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate since it first referred the matter to the FBI in February of last year, Just the News reported.
In an August 2022 letter to Republican Congressman Mike Turner, acting Archivist Debra Wall said the only time the National Archives communicated with the FBI was when it found records marked as classified among the 15 boxes retrieved from Mar-a-Lago in February 2022. Since then, the Justice Department “has been exclusively responsible” for the investigation and the National Archives has not been involved, she wrote.
Wall told Rep. Turner that because the National Archives was not involved, she would not be able to answer any of his questions.
However, based on internal messages, letters, and emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, officials from the National Archives were continuing to insert themselves into the ongoing investigation after its initial criminal referral.
According to Just the News, in April 2022, the National Archives fielded a request from the White House to grant the FBI “special access” to the 15 boxes of records retrieved from Mar-a-Lago in January 2022, including the ones marked classified.
The National Archives then wrote to Trump’s lawyer Evan Corcoran notifying him that the office of the White House Counsel along with the Justice Department had requested that the Archives give the FBI access to the 15 boxes within seven days.
According to Just the News, this clearly indicates that the National Archives’ involvement in the investigation continued after it initially referred the case to the FBI.
On Monday, America First Legal reported that emails and other communications it received via a Freedom of Information Act request show that the Biden White House played a role in the August FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago.
According to America First Legal, based on the documents received through the FOIA request, it is clear that the National Archives misled Congress about the White House’s role in the Mar-a-Lago raid.
