Former President Donald Trump may have violated the Presidential Records Act of 1978 after new reporting that the National Archives had to retrieve documents from Trump’s Florida residence. The Washington Post reports the Archives took several boxes from Mar-a-Lago, some containing letters from North Korea leader Kim Jong Un.
Congress passed the Presidential Records Act following the Watergate scandal. Part of the act says that all presidential documents must be saved until the National Archives decides if they are a part of the presidential record. It also says that all documents belong to the government and not the president once his term is over.
Previous reports have suggested Trump may have violated the act, as well. In 2018, Politico reported Trump routinely tore up documents. Recently, the National Archives confirmed some of the documents requested by the January 6 Select Committee had been ripped and taped back together.