US House Oversight Panel initiates probe into Donald Trump's White House records

US House Oversight Panel has initiated an investigation to know how former President Donald Trump's White House records were handled. This comes after 15 boxes of presidential records were discovered at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort home. Earlier, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) had asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate whether the Trump administration's handling of White House records was in violation of federal law.

"I am concerned that these records were not promptly delivered to NARA at the end of the Trump administration, and that they may have been removed from the White House in violation of the Presidential Records Act (PRA)," Carolyn B Maloney, chairwoman of Oversight Panel, stated, as per Sputnik news agency. 

She also expressed concern about recent claims that President Trump attempted to destroy presidential records multiple times while in office, which could amount to more serious violations of the PRA. All pertinent records, including photos, correspondence, and pamphlets, must be handed over to the National Archives as soon as the President leaves office, as per the Presidential Records Act. The National Archives claimed that it arranged for the transport of 15 boxes of presidential materials out of Trump's Palm Beach property in mid-January after consultations with Trump's officials in 2021, CNBC News reported. 

'Trump's act might be considered a legal offence': Maloney

Maloney highlighted in her letter to US Archivist David Ferriero that Republicans had relentlessly scrutinised former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for official communications. According to Maloney, what Trump allegedly did might be considered a legal offence. As per reports, a letter from Trump's predecessor and former President Barack Obama was retrieved at Mar-a-Lago, as well as Trump's self-described "love letters" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. All such records should have been handed over to the National Archives directly from the White House once Trump left office in January 2021, the agency noted.