Former presidents, vice presidents asked to check for classified records
The National Archives and Records Administration is asking former presidents and vice presidents to determine if they possess any classified materials.
WASHINGTON — The National Archives and Records Administration on Thursday requested that former presidents and vice presidents "conduct an assessment" to determine whether they have any classified materials in their possession.
In a letter to designated records representatives, the National Archives referred to "several instances reported in the media where records containing classified information and subject to the Presidential Records Act (PRA) have been identified outside of the physical custody of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).”
“The responsibility to comply with the PRA does not diminish after the end of an administration,” according to the letter, first reported by CNN and later obtained by NBC News.
Under the Presidential Records Act, all presidents’ and vice presidents’ records — including any classified documents — must be turned over to archives by the ends of their terms.
"Therefore, 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," the letter said.
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