WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal task force aimed at addressing the misuse of classified documents that it says has plagued outgoing presidential administrations for decades is recommending better guidance and training on such materials.
The recommendations released Friday come nearly a year after President Joe Biden created the Presidential Records Task Force with the aim of examining past transitions to determine best practices for protecting sensitive information from one administration to the next.
The task force is also calling on Congress to provide money for secure storage so that presidents can safely access the records after they leave office.
Biden created the task force just days after a Justice Department special counsel criticized him in a report for mishandling sensitive documents from his time as vice president that should have gone to the National Archives for safekeeping.
The case came after federal agents raided Donald Trump’s Florida estate and accused him of intentionally hoarding top-secret documents.
Dealing with potentially sensitive documents has become particularly critical as Biden is in the process of packing to leave the White House, three days before Trump takes office on Monday.
“For nearly 50 years, every administration – Republican and Democrat – has faced the problem of confidential documents being inadvertently removed during presidential transitions,” the task force wrote in its final memo. “In recent years, confidential documents from previous presidential administrations have surfaced in unsecured locations.”
The group concluded that “inadvertent retention of classified information is most likely to occur upon exit from the company,” blaming “the often overwhelming number of responsibilities” that departing employees must manage while simultaneously worrying about it make to leave their own workplace.
To address this, she recommended that the Office of the President provide improved training materials to ensure employees are aware of the requirements of the Presidential Records Act – a 1978 law that makes the retention of presidential documents the property of the U.S. government prescribes. It also said the executive office should provide training on the Presidential Records Act throughout the year.
The task force also found that presidents and vice presidents have the legal right to access documents after they leave office, but have not been provided federal funding that would give them mechanisms to do so.
It said Congress should provide money for the safe and sound storage of sensitive materials, including in short-lived facilities and long-term sites after administration.
Special Counsel Robert Hur’s February 2024 report listed dozens of sensitive documents found at Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and his former office in Washington. It also described Biden as an “older man with a poor memory,” which fueled public concerns about his mental capacity and ultimately led Biden to abandon his re-election bid. Nevertheless, Hur concluded that charges in the matter were not warranted.
After agents raided his Mar-a-Lago club in 2022, Trump was ultimately indicted but dismissed the case against him as politically motivated. It was scrapped after he won the presidential election last year.
