The National Archives and Records Administration called on former presidents and vice presidents to hunt for any classified files they might be holding on to.
Officials at the agency are requesting representatives for prior presidents and vice presidents comb through their files to ensure no classified or presidential records material "inadvertently" wound up in their personal inventory, following findings from former administrations over recent weeks.
“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," a letter from the agency to former presidents said, per CNN.
Under the Presidential Records Act, which was referenced in the letter, presidents and vice presidents are required to relinquish presidential material to the agency to preserve for historical purposes. The law lacks teeth, and there is no criminal penalty for those who fail to comply. However, mishandling classified documents is subject to other laws.
Straggling files marked as classified have recently been discovered at residences or locations associated with former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, and former Vice President Mike Pence.
The agency sent its letter to representatives for former Presidents Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Ronald Reagan, as well as former Vice Presidents Pence, Biden, Dick Cheney, Al Gore, and Dan Quayle, per CNN.
Last year, Trump turned over 15 boxes worth of material to the National Archives. Officials then discovered files with classified markings, which sparked a monthslong controversy that engulfed the former president. The matter is now being investigated by special counsel Jack Smith.
Then, last November, a Biden lawyer discovered material marked classified at a think tank and referred the matter to the Justice Department, which appointed special counsel Robert Hur to investigate the situation earlier this month. That was followed by subsequent discoveries of more material from Biden's vice presidential days. Later, it was revealed that Pence unearthed sensitive material at his Indiana home.
