The National Archives and Records Administration asked the Justice Department to probe former President Trump's handlings of White House records, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The request brings into question whether the former president could be investigated by federal law enforcement for a possible crime, according to the Post.
State of play: Last month, Trump had to return 15 boxes of documents that he took to Mar-a-Lago instead of handing over to the agency.
- The boxes contained correspondence between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which he once referred to as "love letters," and a letter from former President Obama, per the Washington Post.
- Archives officials suspected that the former president may have violated laws regarding his handling of official documents, including classified ones, and contacted the Justice Department for a potential investigation.
- It is not yet clear whether the Justice Department will investigate, per the Post.
The DOJ and the NARA did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment.
The big picture: The National Archives last month released Trump's records to the House Jan. 6 Select Committee, including documents that the former president sought to shield.
- Trump's documents — and the fact that he took them to Mar-a-Lago — may jeopardize the Presidential Records Act, which requires that presidential records be immediately transferred to the national archivist when a president leaves office.
- Trump's representatives have told the National Archives "that they are continuing to search for additional presidential records that belong to the National Archives."
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