WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump has revealed his plans to appoint a new head of the National Archives, a move that has sparked renewed interest in the agency, particularly in light of his federal indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents.
During a recent interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump declared, “We will have a new archivist.”
His grievances with the National Archives stem from its decision in early 2022 to alert the Department of Justice about potential concerns regarding Trump’s handling of classified materials. This notification triggered an investigation that culminated in a high-profile FBI raid at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, marking him as the first former president to confront federal charges.
The position is currently held by Colleen Shogan, who made history as the first female archivist. However, she was not in office during the time of the initial issues.
Shogan was nominated by President Joe Biden in August 2022 and officially confirmed in May of the following year after a lengthy political battle over the agency’s role in the investigation into the sensitive documents taken from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Presidents possess the authority to dismiss the national archivist and appoint a replacement, who must then be confirmed by the Senate. Therefore, Trump’s intention to make this change is within the standard rights of a sitting president.
However, Trump has emphasized his determination to dismantle what he refers to as the “deep state,” a term he uses to describe various components within the federal government, including civil servants and bureaucrats he perceives as resistant to his and the Republican Party’s principles.
After leaving office, former presidents are legally required to transfer the majority of their records to the National Archives. When the agency noticed that several documents were missing from its archives following Trump’s presidency, it made repeated requests for their return, as indicated in the federal indictment.
While Trump ultimately returned some documents, the indictment claims that he concealed others. Special counsel Jack Smith later charged him with offenses including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and making false statements.
Trump has pleaded not guilty and asserts that he has done nothing wrong. After his success on Election Day in November, prosecutors requested to dismiss the case, in accordance with long-standing Justice Department policy that prohibits the criminal prosecution of sitting presidents.
