Congressional committees working to enact reforms to prevent Trump-style abuses now have an easier path to obtain Trump White House documents to aid their investigations, write our @MMCinDC and Dan McGrath.
justsecurity.org/74477/congress…
justsecurity.org/74477/congress…
Under the Presidential Records Act, as soon as a president leaves office, that president’s records (except those deemed to be personal records) are transferred to the control of the Archivist of the U.S. at @USNatArchives.
Although former presidents are permitted to restrict access to their records for up to 12 years after leaving office, the PRA creates an exception that permits release of records to Congress if the records contain information it needs for its work that isn’t otherwise available.
The Trump records previously requested by Congress—including those concerning pay-for-play foreign policy in Ukraine—all squarely fit within the business of Congress. Congress could also request records to help examine the violent January 6 attempted insurrection.
After four years of Trump’s unprecedented obstruction of congressional oversight, obtaining records that could shed more light on his administration’s abuses of office is vital not just in holding officials accountable, but in ensuring such abuses do not occur again.
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