The National Archives has sent a letter formally requesting former presidents and vice presidents to re-check their records for any classified documents or other presidential records.
The requests come following the discovery of classified documents in the homes of former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, and President Joe Biden over the last year.
The letter supposedly states, “The responsibility to comply with the PRA does not diminish after the end of an administration”, as quoted by CNN and NBC, who claim to have reviewed the letter.
CNN further quotes the letter as saying, “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.”
FBI Director Cristopher Wray stated that investigations of mishandled documents are “unfortunately a regular part” of counterintelligence work. He added that “people need to be conscious of the rules regarding the handling of classified information”.