National Archives asks past presidents, VPs to look for classified items

The National Archives sent a letter to representatives for living former presidents and vice presidents on Thursday asking them to review their personal records to verify that no classified materials are inadvertently outstanding, according to a person familiar with the correspondence who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail private conversations.

The list of former presidents and vice presidents contacted likely includes former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and former vice presidents Dick Cheney, Al Gore and Dan Quayle.

» READ MORE: In Washington, ‘classified’ is synonymous with ‘controversy’

The Washington Post previously reported that the Archives was weighing the request earlier this week.

The request comes after a limited number of records bearing classified markings were found in recent weeks at President Biden’s home and a think tank bearing his name, as well as at the home of former vice president Mike Pence. More than 100 classified documents also were found by the FBI last year when they searched former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, capping a nearly year-long quest to retrieve documents from Trump. The search came after more than 200 classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago had been turned over to the Archives and the Justice Department.

As reported previously, an adviser to Obama’s office, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record, told The Washington Post that all classified records from his time in the White House had been submitted to the National Archives upon his leaving office and that the agency continues to assume physical and legal custody of Obama’s materials.

The recent discoveries underscore the limitations of the Presidential Records Act, which governs how documents of former presidents and vice presidents are handled. Under the act, the Archives takes ownership of millions of presidential papers from the outgoing president as soon as a new president is sworn in, while items deemed personal go home with the former president. Classified materials are all considered government property, but compliance can be an issue because of the massive volume of materials.

Both Biden and Pence officials have stressed their cooperation and compliance with the Archives and the FBI in recent public statements, while Trump has continued to fume over Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed to oversee the investigation into his mishandling of classified documents. Attorney General Merrick Garland has also appointed a special counsel to investigate Biden’s handling of classified materials.

Earlier this week, Trump accused Smith of “viciously harassing and bullying everyone in sight” on the former president’s social media website, Truth Social.