National Archives wants last 6 administrations to check for presidential documents

by Jacob Fuller

Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News

Thursday, the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA) requested that representatives of every president dating to Ronald Reagan ensure that no administration has “inadvertently” violated the Presidential Records Act (PRA).

As first reported by CNN, NARA sent letters to representatives of six former presidents.

“The responsibility to comply with the PRA does not diminish after the end of an administration,” the letter reads.

Therefore, we request that you conduct an assessment of any materials held outside of NARA that relate to the Administration for which you serve as a designated representative under the PRA, to determine whether bodies of materials previously assumed to be personal in nature might inadvertently contain Presidential or Vice Presidential records subject to the PRA, whether classified or unclassified.

One administration, that of former President George W. Bush, has already responded in writing.

“Thank you for your note. We understand its purpose and remain confident that no such materials are in our possession,” CNN quoted Freddy Ford, Bush’s chief of staff, as saying.

The Presidential Records Act was signed into law by then-President Jimmy Carter in 1978, but it did not take effect until after Carter left office. As he is exempt from conforming to the law, Cater did not receive a letter.

Former Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump each got an assertive reminder that, per the act, all presidential and vice presidential records, not just sensitive ones, are supposed to be surrendered to NARA immediately upon the president’s departure from office.

“[While] much of the attention of [recent discoveries of classified documents] has focused on the classified information, the PRA requires that all Presidential records of every Administration from Reagan onward must be transferred to NARA, regardless of classification status,” the letter reads.

Presidents are allowed to keep their personal records, but there is ample room for presidents to take issue with or misunderstand what constitutes presidential versus personal records.

“We request that you conduct an assessment of any materials held outside of NARA to determine whether bodies of materials previously assumed to be personal in nature might inadvertently contain Presidential or Vice Presidential records,” the letter reads.

Alleged improper storage of presidential records has become a hot-button issue of late after Trump, President Joe Biden, and former Vice President Mike Pence were found to have classified documents still in their possession.

CNN reported that representatives of both Bush administrations as well as those for Clinton and Obama have stated they do not possess any presidential records.

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