Souvenirs were kept. Records tossed. Burn bags used indiscriminately. Former aides described a chaotic pack up of Trump’s White House. It was in those frantic, final days that — investigators say — boxes with classified material were sent to Mar-a-Lago.
Standing amid half-packed boxes in early 2021, staffers in the West Wing grabbed packages of presidential M&M’s and tried to obtain giant photos of the president and the first couple that adorned the walls, eager for a memento from their White House service.
It was in those tumultuous moments that — investigators allege — boxes containing classified material were packed and sent to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. Throughout the months of December and January, administration officials were given guidance by the White House counsel’s office on how to abide by the Presidential Records Act, the post-Watergate law that dictates the procedures and processes for preserving government documents. There was professional staff that helped manage the IT systems and National Archives and Records Administration embeds who reminded aides about record preservation.
Some aides recalled that staff secretary Derek Lyons attempted to maintain a semblance of order in the West Wing despite the election uncertainty. But he departed the administration in late December, leaving the task of preserving the needed records for the National Archives to others. The two men atop the office hierarchy — then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump — took little interest in it, aides and advisers recalled.
Trump has long loved to collect and display items that remind him and others of his personal feats. His golf courses and the office in Trump Tower are cluttered with photos, magazine covers featuring him, and souvenirs attesting to the perks of his wealth and fame. Whatever he didn’t want was usually whisked away with little regard.
“You sign all this stuff when you start, you’ve already been told here’s how the Presidential Records Act works, here’s what it says, here’s what it means, as far as what we expected,” said one former Trump White House official. “It seemed very routine.”
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trump wants Mar-a-Lago affidavit released, as some aides ponder riskFormer president Donald Trump has called on a judge to unseal the affidavit central to last week’s FBI search of his Florida home, according to people he has conferred with in recent days.
Read more »
For the first time in 20 years, teachers can deduct more for school suppliesTeachers will now be able to deduct up to $300 of out-of-pocket classroom expenses in 2022, up from the $250 that has been set since the incentive first started in 2002. | via NPR
Read more »
EUR/USD: Corrective pullback approaches 1.0200, Eurozone GDP, Fed Minutes in focusEUR/USD treads water around 1.0175, keeping the previous day’s rebound in a choppy trading range during Wednesday’s Asian session, as traders await th
Read more »
These rules for an ocean economy would help the whole planetThese rules for an ocean economy would help the whole planet, says marine biologist and ecologist Benjamin Halpern
Read more »
Here's Why You Keep Landing Jobs You HateBelieve it or not, you might be the reason you keep landing jobs you hate.
Read more »