The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) says: former Trump's Chief-of-Staff, Mark Meadows, may Not have Stored All Trump-Era Records Properly. The acknowledgment comes amid his Clash with the Committee Investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot.
The Record Types are: his Personal Phone and Email Account, and the Presidential Record-Keeping Agency.
“NARA is working with counsel to Mark Meadows to obtain any Presidential records that were not properly copied or forwarded into his official account,” a NARA Spokesperson said in a Statement.
A source close to Trump’s ex-Chief-of-Staff confirmed that Meadows is working with the NARA to turn over Any Documents that he was supposed to provide upon the End of Trump's Term.
The National Archives' acknowledgment comes as Meadows Clashes with the Jan. 6 Committee. Committee Members have raised Questions about whether Meadows properly turned over All of his Records before leaving Office.
Meadows Sued the Select Panel, its Members, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA, 12th District), on Wednesday, over efforts to Force him to Comply with the Investigation.
Meadows, in recent Legal Filings, indicated he shared 6,800 pages of Emails and more than 2,300 Text Messages with the Jan. 6 Committee, in an initial Bid to Cooperate. But Members of the Committee raised Alarms about Meadows’ Claim that some of his Private Records were Shielded by Executive Privilege. If that’s the Case, they said, those Records should likely have been Turned-Over to the National Archives as Part of Official Government Business.
“Mr. Meadows again, he's turned over documents that are extremely important and relevant to the investigation that are not privileged,” Panel Vice Chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY, At-Large) said Wednesday evening in a Brief Interview. “And those texts and emails from his private email account, his personal cell phone, those belong in the National Archives and so the committee is also very interested in questioning him about that.”
Under a Federal Law passed in 2014, White House Personnel may use their Personal Devices or Email Accounts for Official Business, but are required to Forward those “Electronic Messaging” Records into an Official Account within 20 days of their Creation.
Employees who “intentionally” Fail to do so can face Disciplinary Action or Criminal Prosecution, according to a Policy issued by Trump’s White House Counsel’s Office in 2017. The Policy said White House Personnel were Required to use Official Email and Electronic Messaging Accounts for Work-related Communications, except in “emergency circumstances.”
But the news that Meadows may Not have turned over All his Records to the NARA suggests that even if the Jan. 6 Committee Prevails in the Trump Lawsuit, there may be crucial Records that the NARA don’t yet possess.
The Panel is preparing to hold Meadows in Criminal Contempt of Congress, next week, for Refusing to Appear for a Deposition about his Knowledge of Trump’s effort to Subvert the 2020 Election.
The Panel has specifically questioned Meadows’ Attorney, George Terwilliger III, about Meadows’ handling of Official Government Records, his Personal Devices, and his Personal Emails.
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