The head of the National Archives and Records Administration rejected the notion that the agency is plotting against former President Donald Trump in an email sent to staff members last week.
Debra Steidel Wall, the acting archivist, told staff members that in the wake of actions taken by the agency in seeking Trump’s presidential records, the National Archives has received messages from the public accusing it of being anti-Trump or congratulating the agency for “bringing him down,” saying that “neither is accurate or welcome.” The email was reportedly sent by Wall on Aug. 24, according to the Washington Post.
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“The National Archives has been the focus of intense scrutiny for months, this week especially, with many people ascribing political motivation to our actions,” Wall wrote in the email.
“NARA has received messages from the public accusing us of corruption and conspiring against the former president, or congratulating NARA for ‘bringing him down,’” she continued. “Neither is accurate or welcome.”
The discovery of over 700 pages of classified material mixed with other documents in 15 boxes of presidential records collected by the National Archives from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in January led the agency to believe that more sensitive records could still be in Trump’s possession in Palm Beach, Florida.
After the January discovery, the Justice Department opened an investigation into Trump’s handling of presidential records, and the DOJ seized another batch of documents with sensitive national security information stashed in the basement of Mar-a-Lago. In August, FBI agents searched the resort and reportedly recovered 26 boxes of material.
The National Archives’s referral of the matter to the DOJ, and the subsequent FBI raid of Trump’s home, ignited a political firestorm. Wall told staff in her email, however, that the agency is “fiercely non-political” and an “honest broker” simply seeking to preserve government records.
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“Our fundamental interest is always in ensuring that government records are properly managed, preserved and protected to ensure access to them for the life of the republic,” Wall wrote. “That is our mission, and what motivates us as we seek to uphold the public trust.”
Read Wall’s entire email to staff at the National Archives below.
