On Thursday, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) formally asked the presidents and vice presidents of the last six administrations to re-check their personal records for any classified documents or presidential records they may “inadvertently” have in their possession.
Amid the ongoing controversy over classified documents discovered improperly stored by President Joe Biden, and most recently by former Vice President Mike Pence, the National Archives sent a letter Thursday requesting the re-check, CNN reports:
“The National Archives is formally asking former presidents and vice presidents to re-check their personal records for any classified documents or other presidential records in the wake of classified documents discovered in the homes of former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and President Biden over the past year.
“The Archives sent a letter Thursday to the representatives of former presidents and vice presidents of the last six presidential administrations covered by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) – from former President Ronald Reagan’s White House to the present.”
According to the Presidential Records Act, any records created or received by the president and vice president are the property of the U.S. government and must be managed by the Archives after the administration ends.
The administrations covered begin with the Reagan and include those of:
- Pres. Donald Trump,
- Pres. Barack Obama,
- Pres. George W. Bush,
- Pres. Bill Clinton,
- Pres. George H.W. Bush, and
- Pres. Ronald Reagan