According to two former Trump White House officials, so-called "burn bags" were widespread. I was holding confidential classified material that I intended to destroy. Such bags are common, said Mark Zeid, a lawyer familiar with national security law. But one former official said it would also include items that appear to be unclassified, such as handwritten letters and notes handed to the principal. Zaid said disposing of unclassified information in this way isn't necessarily inappropriate if it's done within the bounds of the law. However, those who observed the process admitted that it was not entirely clear whether the documents should have been sent to the National Archives rather than the crematorium.
It was in that tumultuous moment that a box containing classified material was packed and sent to Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, as investigators claim.
Nineteen months later, Mr. Trump's handling of the president's records and West His Wing materials exposed him to unprecedented legal exposure. Last week, the FBI resorted to obtaining warrants to obtain those items. According to the FBI, it contained four sets of top-secret documents and seven sets of classified information.
However, as told in interviews with more than a dozen of his former White House officials and advisers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, his The approach was often echoed throughout the White House. I will give you an honest account of the last days.
Trump's final frenzied packing at his 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue aftermath of the Jan. 6 riots and impending impeachment as the president preoccupies other matters. began in earnest. Norms and protocols have been cast aside. Everything was delayed, including
formal approval of the change of government by the Management and Coordination Agency.
In December and January, administration officials addressed the White House on how to comply with the Presidential Records Act, a post-Watergate law that establishes procedures and processes for preserving government documents. was instructed by the law firm of We had a professional staff to help us manage our IT systems and the National Archives and Records Administration, alerting our assistants to record retention.
Staff also began offboarding — leaving a growing pile of work to fewer aides. Some of them were bitter and exhausted, and showed little desire or inclination to support the incoming government, which their superiors claimed had stolen the election.
"Part of the MAGA movement can be interpreted as a kind of 'fuck you' to the government bureaucracy and the Deep State," said one former Trump official. "People were really unhappy with the transition and the outcome of the election. This was the last control they had in power."
It was one of the more chaotic times for the Trump White House, defined as chaos. The West Wing was left reeling from Trump's loss to Joe Biden, and the president's refusal to concede has largely frozen the transition process.
Several aides recalled that Secretary Derek Lyons attempted to maintain order in the West Wing despite the uncertainty of the election. However, he left the administration in late December, leaving the task of preserving the necessary records for the National Archives to others. The two men at the top of the office hierarchy, then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Trump, had little interest in it, aides and advisers recalled. Meanwhile, former aides say the responsibility for overseeing the cleanup of the Oval Office outside the Oval Office and the dining room, a Trump favorite outside the Oval Office, falls to Trump. It was left to his assistants, Molly Michael and Nick Luna.
A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment for this article. A source close to Meadows claimed that "every procedure was followed according to guidance."
The Open Government Group had by that time tried to force the government to keep its records. Tom Brunton, director of the independent, non-governmental National Security Archive at George Washington University, one of the groups pressuring the White House, said the goal is to "prevent bonfires in the rose gardens." said clearly. He and others were concerned by reports that White House staff and outside advisers were using personal email, WhatsApp and disappearing messages.
There was also the belief that Trump simply didn't care about records preservation laws.
"Law firms often worked in conflict with the way President Trump handled the records," Brunton said. "For Trump, the White House was the other casino he bought. This one was just on Pennsylvania Avenue."
Trump long remembered him and others for his accomplishments. I liked collecting and decorating items that would make me happy. His golf, his courses and Trump's Tower offices are filled with photographs, magazine covers featuring him, and memorabilia that testify to the benefits of his wealth and fame. Anything he didn't want was usually dismissed with little care. In fact, every day while working in the Oval Office, Trump shoved his papers off his desk and into a cardboard box.
On occasion, Trump called on his aides to bring memorabilia — a letter from Kim Jong Un of North Korea was a particular favorite — which he was happy to show to his guests.
Mr Trump, who is under investigation for possible espionage and other violations of the law, has denied wrongdoing but has changed the existence of the material on Mar-a-Lago. provide a description of how to The aide said he remembers little conversation about what to do with the documents Trump occasionally brings to the White House during the transition.
Regarding the broader transition, a handful of Trump's White House aides will sort and store government records, return equipment, and release staff from security clearances. The process is done discreetly with the attorney's office.
"We will sign all this at the beginning. How the Presidential Records Act works, what this means, as far as we expected, what this means It's already been explained," he said. Former Trump White House official. "It seemed very routine."
But most aides described a haphazard process as the presidential inauguration day approached. Lawyers had sent staff guidance on when and how they should pack, but "they weren't going to go paper by paper," one former staffer recalled.
"Every drawer," said the man. "It's not a scientific process. Someone won't be breathing down your neck looking at what you're taking."
This is a process introduced by Trump's predecessors. was in stark contrast to Faced with term limits, President Barack Obama's administration knew it was leaving and began the transition in August 2016. More than that, they did not consider the rules regarding record keeping to be ambiguous.
"It is very clear that they are not allowed to take government property, and government documents produced at the White House, anything related to their official duties at the White House, It was included," he said. "And no one fought us about it. It never mattered. The rule that you can't take government documents was a clear rule."
Eggleston speculates that Trump was a victim of his own political impulses. "[H]e was not really involved in the transition process because he denied defeat, because he refused to make it happen," he said. "That meant they were in a pretty desperate situation when inauguration day came."
Outgoing White Houses typically have reporting processes for classified documents. , then there is a procedure for handing over government phones and computers. But for many of the last Trump holdouts, that process took place after the Capitol riots. This was a startling day of violence that sparked an increase in security throughout Washington. Security roadblocks set up around the White House created more logistical hurdles for already exhausted and hollowed-out staff, the aide recalled.
Sloppiness continued in many departments. Many staff members seemed more interested in securing copies of "Jumbo" (the giant photograph that adorns the wall of the West Wing) than organizing and packing files. Those who remained focused on balancing the president's political whims with the operational demands of running the country were trying to cling to power until just a few days ago.
Simply, the protocol didn't matter too much.
"Compared to previous administrations of both parties," conceded a source familiar with the process. "I didn't have a lot of motivation to comply with the Presidential Records Act.
Sam Stein contributed to this report.