Continually revealing classified documents, former US presidents and vice presidents were forced to review

According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Washington, NARA made the request on January 26 after classified documents were discovered at the homes of former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and current President Joe Biden. in the last year.

In a letter to representatives of former presidents and vice presidents from the six most recent federal governments, NARA asked them to comply with the Presidential Records Act (PRA), enacted in 1978.

Accordingly, former leaders must check where personal items are stored to ensure that the documents do not “accidentally” contain White House files, which are required by law to be turned over to NARA.

The letter read: “The responsibility to comply with the PRA does not diminish with the end of an administration. We therefore ask that you conduct a review of any documents held outside of NARA’s control. to determine whether documents previously believed to have belonged to individuals may inadvertently contain records to which the president or vice president is subject, whether marked confidential.”

In the letter, NARA notes that “although much of the attention of these cases has been focused on classified information, the PRA requires that all records of all administrations from the time of President Ronald Reagan onwards be forwarded to NARA, regardless of security level.”

Former presidents who received the letter include Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan, as well as former vice presidents Mike Pence, Joe Biden, Dick Cheney, Al Gore and Dan Quayle.

Representatives for former Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama and late President George HW Bush told CNN that all classified documents were turned over to NARA when their clients left office.

Former President Jimmy Carter, 99, alone, did not receive a letter from NARA because he is technically exempt from the PRA law. Despite being the signatory of the PRA, the law only takes effect after the 39th President of the United States leaves office.

Will Mr. Biden be unscathed from the secret document scandal?

US President Joe Biden can dent his credibility when he once ‘speaks of morality’ and then has the right problem of handling classified documents. However, it is highly likely that he will not be in trouble like Donald Trump.