The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) was concerned about former President Donald Trump’s hoarding of presidential records, including a doctored map of Hurricane Dorian, letters from Kim Jong-un, and Barack Obama. NARA General Counsel Gary Stern expressed frustration in phone calls and emails over the missing records, demanding their return from Trump, who had taken roughly two dozen boxes of original presidential records from the White House.
The missing documents from Trump’s administration, including the hurricane map, were a topic of interest during interviews conducted by FBI agents and federal prosecutors with unnamed officials, one of whom had worked in the White House Office of Records Management (WHORM). The doctored map of Hurricane Dorian, which Trump displayed in a televised address in 2019, inaccurately showed the storm hitting Alabama. Trump had tweeted warnings about Alabama being affected by the hurricane, despite pushback from federal officials.
Persons familiar with the situation stated that Trump was fond of certain documents and did not trust the system due to past leaks to the press. Despite NARA’s requests, many wondered how they could force Trump to return the documents. WHORM had initially sought the documents before the end of Trump’s term, highlighting concerns about records retention. Other documents had been obtained in the past without the president’s knowledge, with White House staff collecting and providing them to WHORM.
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows discussed the missing records with Trump at Mar-a-Lago after consulting with President Biden’s deputy counsel. Eventually, in January 2022, NARA was able to retrieve 15 boxes of materials, including documents related to various topics such as military parades, Cabinet meetings, and immigration issues. The number of missing boxes raised concerns about the thoroughness of the search for presidential records. This led NARA to refer concerns about potentially classified documents to the Department of Justice.
In August 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago and discovered over 100 classified documents. Trump was subsequently charged with 40 criminal counts for retaining classified information. Despite multiple attempts by Trump’s legal team to have the case dismissed, the trial is set to begin on July 8. The court filings shed light on the challenges faced by NARA in retrieving presidential records, including the doctored hurricane map and letters from foreign leaders, from the former president.
