According to reporting by The Washington Post, the National Archive is considering asking living former Presidents and Vice Presidents to search for classified material among their personal records to ensure they’re not holding onto any classified information.
The Post, citing two people familiar with the discussions, revealed the National Archive was mulling whether to make the request based on the recent discoveries of classified material in possession of President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and former Vice President Mike Pence.
The search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence over the summer inadvertently opened a can of worms into the world of the executive branch hoarding classified documents.
Months later, on November 2, classified documents were discovered in Biden’s former office in Washington, D.C.
Then classified documents were found in his Wilmington, Del. home in December and throughout January.
As more classified documents were being uncovered in Biden’s home, Pence’s attorney revealed that a handful of classified documents were discovered in his Indiana home.
Only Biden and Trump are under investigation by the Department of Justice, with their respective probes being overseen by a Special Counsel. Jack Smith was appointed as Special Counsel in Trump’s probe, while Robert Hur has been appointed Special Counsel in Biden’s case.
The sudden rise in classified document discoveries has led to scrutiny of other former President’s potential unauthorized storage of documents.
However, according to reporting The Hill, former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have insisted that they returned all classified material to the National Archive as required.
