The Incredible Vanishing Trump Presidency
AtlanticFeb 09, 2022
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), chair of the House Oversight Committee, is reportedly investigating whether Trump violated the Presidential Records Act when he took 15 boxes of official White House documents to Mar-a-Lago.
The items - recently recovered by the NARA - included correspondences with Kim Jong Un, a letter from Obama and the track map of Hurricane Dorian dubbed "sharpie gate".
Trump's blatant disregard for preserving executive records reveals that his shamelessness and lawlessness goes beyond anything the US has seen before. Trump has undermined the historical record and transparency of his presidency and made it impossible for the public to ever know what truly happened while he was in office.
The items were taken as mementos -- there was no ill-intent in their removal, or attempt to conceal the documents, most of which had already been made public. Trump has worked in a collaborative and respectful manner to ensure their return to DC. No harm, no foul.
The Presidential Records Act is outdated, vague, and toothless, with no clear consequences for those who break it. It must be revised to avoid ambiguity, cover the digital era, and give more power to the National Archives and Congress. Otherwise it will never serve its essential purpose of maintaining accountability and history.