President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the National Archives and Records Administration is facing scrutiny over the agency’s role in an investigation into former President Donald Trump as politics seeps into what would otherwise be a routine confirmation.
Colleen Shogan, Biden’s choice to be the agency’s next archivist, appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday to answer questions about her prospective role as the head of the NARA. During the hearing, Shogan faced questions from Republicans who wanted to press the historian for more information regarding the FBI raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home last month.
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“In an unusual situation, it wasn’t just the FBI carrying out the raid, but it was at the request of the National Archives,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-TX). “A raid of a former president’s house is unprecedented, and it puts the entire process on full display. … Should this be a voluntary cooperation rather than a legal raid with a search warrant?”
“I want to be clear that as the nominee for this position, I have not been briefed on any of the details,” Shogan responded. “But as I understand it, when there is some concern about damage to records in general at the National Archives, at that point in time, to retrieve the records, there is a voluntary exchange of communication with those individuals. And as I understand that, once again, they don’t have any past knowledge of this.”
The exchange brought an unusual spotlight to a nomination that has historically passed through the Senate without much debate or coverage. It also underscored the frustration among some Republican lawmakers that the details behind why the FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence remain unknown or have been heavily redacted.
As the archivist, Shogan would lead the agency in its efforts to preserve important national records, such as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. However, the agency has come under recent scrutiny after turning over its investigation into whether Trump took classified materials after he left the White House to the Justice Department — resulting in the FBI raid of his home.
The decision to raid a former president’s home sets a new precedent, Lankford noted during the confirmation hearing, prompting the Texas Republican to press Shogan to commit to increased transparency within the agency to explain the justification for such a search.
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“Because this [precedent] was something entirely new that was just created by the National Archives and the FBI in searching of the president’s house,” Lankford said, “will you agree in the future to make records available at the National Archives to be able to show what the process was and the decision-making was to be able to reach this point of greater transparency for the American people?”
“Yes, I believe in transparency with this committee, I want to be responsive to requests if I am confirmed as archivist of the United States,” Shogan said. “As a general statement, senator, they have my commitment that I will work with members of this committee to be as transparent as possible.”
