News lead: In a letter Thursday, Acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall responded to questions from Republicans on the House Oversight Committee about the agency’s previous refusal to turn over records to lawmakers.
“In general, the DOJ has asked NARA not to share or otherwise disclose to others information about this matter at this time in order to protect the integrity of DOJ’s ongoing work,” Steidel Wall wrote. “I am also informing you that ‘NARA maintains all records relating to this matter.’ In an email to Axios, NARA said it released the letter as a “precautionary disclosure.”
The big picture: In the wake of the FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home, House Republicans have asked for additional information about the progress of the investigation and the materials found at the home.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, and other Republicans on the panel sent a letter late last month asking to clarify NARA’s role in the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago investigation.” and repeat the request for information and all related documents and communications,” it said in a statement. In Thursday’s letter, Wall did not rule out the possibility of delivering records in the future. “To the extent that we are able to release any additional records that meet your request in the future, we will make them available to you,” he said.
Go deeper: Top Republicans press DOJ for answers in Mar-a-Lago search Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from NARA.
