Trump May Have Taken Classified Information with Him Upon Leaving Office, Reports New York Times

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The National Archives and Records Administration believes it has in its possession classified information in materials obtained from former President Donald Trump, according to a report in the New York Times.

The National Archives retrieved records from Trump, who left office with 15 boxes of documents that were supposed to be turned over to the agency. According to one report, “Some Trump White House documents that have been handed over to the House select committee investigating January 6 had to be taped back together by National Archives staff because they had been ripped up, the agency said in a statement.”

Details in the Times article are nonexistent.

“The National Archives and Records Administration discovered what it believed was classified information in documents Donald J. Trump had taken with him from the White House as he left office, according to a person briefed on the matter,” the publication reported on Wednesday night.

The Times article does not say that people at the National Archives believe Trump turned over classified documents. Rather, it says “classified information in documents.”

This is perhaps a distinction without a difference. The materials may indeed be classified, but the Times’ decision to phrase its reporting this way is notable – at least for now.

The publication noted that the inspector general of the National Archives is required to tell the Department of Justice about any classified material “found outside government channels.”

In the event of such a referral, DOJ officials would need to decide whether to open a case.