Complaint and Court Filings: American Oversight v. NARA — Communications and Documents Related to Mar-a-Lago Records Retrieved in January 2022
May 31, 2022
National Archives Withholding Over 1,000 Pages of Records Related to Mar-A-Lago Documents Seizure
In a cover letter accompanying the release of 65 pages of records, which were released in response to American Oversight’s lawsuit and other requests, the agency said it is withholding more than 1,000 pages of records for reasons related to ongoing law enforcement investigations.
On Monday, in response to a lawsuit brought by American Oversight, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) released 65 pages of emails and other correspondence relating to the recovery of 15 boxes of materials from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in January.
In a cover letter to American Oversight, NARA also confirmed that the agency is withholding more than 1,000 pages of records for reasons related to ongoing law enforcement investigations. The letter stated that NARA had identified more than 1,600 pages of email records responsive to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed by American Oversight and others.
View and download the records and cover letter released to American Oversight here.
American Oversight sued NARA in May for failing to comply with FOIA requests for documents related to the agency’s January 2022 repossession of 15 boxes of items from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
NARA officials retrieved the boxes of records, which reportedly included correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un along with other files that should have been turned over to the archives, from Mar-a-Lago in mid-January. Later reporting revealed that some of the documents were marked as classified and top secret.
American Oversight filed FOIAs in February seeking inventories or lists of items that were retrieved from the residence, along with communications from agency officials about the Mar-a-Lago records and related issues, and communications with members of the Trump campaign and organization. After NARA failed to respond to those requests as required by law, American Oversight filed suit. In August, NARA agreed to release an initial response to American Oversight by Oct. 3.