WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump has revealed plans to appoint a new leader for the National Archives, drawing fresh scrutiny to the agency amid his recent federal indictment concerning the improper handling of classified documents.
During a conversation with radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday, Trump declared, “We will have a new archivist.”
His discontent with the agency traces back to its decision to inform the Department of Justice about potential concerns regarding Trump’s management of classified materials in early 2022. This alert sparked an investigation that culminated in an unprecedented FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, marking him as the first former president to face federal charges.
The current archivist, Colleen Shogan, notably the first woman to hold this role, was not in office during this pivotal time.
Shogan was nominated by President Joe Biden in August 2022 and confirmed in May of the following year after a drawn-out partisan battle over the agency’s role in investigating sensitive documents that had been taken from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.
Presidents possess the power to dismiss the national archivist and appoint a new one, who must then be confirmed by the Senate, making Trump’s intention to do so a typical exercise of presidential authority.
However, Trump has emphasized his determination to dismantle what he refers to as the “deep state,” a broad term he uses to describe various factions within the federal government, including civil servants and bureaucrats whom he perceives as opposing his and the Republican Party’s values.
After leaving office, former presidents are legally required to hand over most of their records to the National Archives. The agency noticed that several documents were missing from its records following Trump’s presidency and made repeated requests for their return, as detailed in the federal indictment.
While Trump eventually returned some documents, the indictment claims he withheld 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 maintains that he has done nothing wrong. Following his Election Day win in November, prosecutors sought to have the case dismissed, adhering to a long-established Justice Department policy that bars the criminal prosecution of sitting presidents.
