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DOJ Declares Presidential Records Act Unconstitutional for Trump
The lawsuit says the memo would let the White House control or destroy records that document official actions and limit public access, plaintiffs said.
- On Monday, the American Historical Association and American Oversight filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Justice Department's April 1 opinion declaring the Presidential Records Act unconstitutional, seeking to compel the administration to preserve and transfer records to the National Archives.
- Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser's April 1 opinion for the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel argued the 1978 statute "exceeds Congress's enumerated and implied powers," concluding the president "need not further comply" with recordkeeping mandates.
- Citing Supreme Court precedent from Nixon v. Administrator of General Services, plaintiffs contend the DOJ opinion fails to distinguish the current act from a materially identical law the Court upheld 50 years ago.
- White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson stated the administration remains "committed to preserving records," though the Office of Legal Counsel opinion allows officials to set voluntary policies potentially bypassing National Archives oversight.
- Legal experts warn the policy could block public access to hundreds of millions of records, including more than 700 million White House emails, as the administration asserts ownership over documents generated on taxpayer-funded time.
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‘Historic administration’: Trump White House to preserve records after DOJ opinion * WorldNetDaily * by Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal
Source link The White House says that President Donald Trump will preserve his administration’s records, despite the legal opinion of his Justice Department that he doesn’t need to comply with the Presidential Records Act. The Justice Department’s opinion last week stated the “president need not further comply” with the 1978 law requiring a president to
Groups sue Trump administration over claim that presidential records can be shielded from public
Two groups are suing the Trump administration over the Justice Department's claim that a federal law requiring the handover of presidential records for public preservation is unconstitutional.
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Total News Sources71
Leaning Left22Leaning Right7Center26Last UpdatedBias Distribution47% Center
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources are Center
47% Center
L 40%
C 47%
13%
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