The US National Archives and Records Administration has asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate whether former President Donald Trump violated federal law by handling White House records.
Two administration officials broke the news through a dialogue with the national news network NBC News.
One of the sources, whose identities were not disclosed, said it is unclear whether the DOJ will take up the request, as this is all very preliminary.
The request came just days after the National Archives said Trump had to return 15 boxes of documents that were improperly removed from the White House.
In mid-January 2022, the Archives “recovered the documents from Trump’s property in Mar-a-Lago, Florida,” the institution said.
The papers included presidential records, correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a handwritten letter that former President Barack Obama had left in the Oval Office for his successor.
The National Archives also previously discovered that Trump had ripped out some White House documents, which had to be glued back together by government officials.
According to Trump advisers, the businessman had no malicious intent in keeping the documents and assured that they are boxes of souvenirs, gifts, letters and other materials.
The Administration’s request occurred while a select committee of the House of Representatives is investigating the former president’s role in the violent riots of January 6, 2021, when a mob of Republican supporters stormed the capitol to prevent the victory of the current president, Joe Biden.
