House Oversight GOP Questions National Archives’ Statement on Its Role in FBI Mar-a-Lago Raid
House oversight GOP figures cast doubt on the accuracy of the National Archives’ previous letter on its role in a raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in light of recent reports.
Republican members of the Oversight Committee Republicans, led by ranking member James Comer (R-Ky.), wrote a letter (pdf) to U.S. Acting Archivist Debra Wall on Aug. 30. They claimed the federal agency “potentially misrepresented” its coordination with the Justice Department in the previous response.
Wall’s earlier letter (pdf), dated Aug. 16, said the Justice Department has been “exclusively responsible” for the investigation into the classified documents since the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) referred the matter to the department in January 2022.
“NARA has not been involved in the DOJ investigation or any searches that it has conducted. Accordingly, NARA is unable to provide a briefing or any documents in response to your letter,” Wall told Comer and Mike Turner (R-Ohio) in the letter.
However, Wall informed Evan Corcoran, a lawyer for Trump, in a May letter that President Joe Biden deferred to her on Trump’s claim of executive privilege, according to the letter first disclosed on Aug. 22. The claim was ultimately rejected by the archivist.
The newly disclosed letter shows “robust negotiations” between the NARA and Trump’s attorney, the Republicans said in the Aug. 30 letter.
“It is puzzling that you and your staff would blatantly deny the existence of such responsive documents or communications to Congress,” the lawmakers said. “It is implausible that there would be no internal communications by NARA employees regarding the subject matter of the letter to Mr. Corcoran, as your letter to us would indicate.”
“We request that you revisit your prior communications to Oversight Republicans and amend your prior statements as necessary,” they continued.
“The Committee on Oversight and
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