Former President Donald Trump left the White House last year without handing over to the State Department Mandatory registration of gifts received from foreign governments In 2020, officials revealed in a report Friday.
The request was also ignored by former Vice President Mike Pence and other Trump administration officials, according to authorities.
The department attempted to retrieve the missing information from the National Archives and Records Administration and the General Services Administration, but was told that “potentially related records are not available” to the Protocol Office according to the report “Rules for Procurement. record transfer access “. He says.
Breaking down Trump’s predictably futile methods means the State Department has no background information to determine if gifts are inappropriate of any kind, so expensive that they can be considered a bribe for a special benefit.
Federal law requires every government department and agency to submit a list of more than $ 415 gifts received from foreign governments to the State Department. The audit is intended to ensure that foreign governments do not gain undue influence over U.S. officials.
Richard Painter, a former White House ethics attorney, tweeted: “We have no idea what foreign compensation they received and from whom,” he added.
As he walked out the door, all Trump White House staff put their middle finger on the federal charter and on the wage clause of the Constitution. We have no idea what foreign compensation they received and from whom. Https://t.co/8YDoN3tRyk
-Riccardo U. Artist (@RWPUSA) April 9, 2022
Trump’s refusal to comply with the records law was evident when he moved 15 boxes of official documents from the White House to his residence in Mar-a-Lago, some of which were clearly marked as “secret.” and be “secret”. All of this must be provided to the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
He also continued to violate White House documents that had to be kept and given to the archive. National Archives officials were forced to write what they could when the Select Committee of the Chamber of Investigation into the Rebellion requested documents.
The Justice Department has opened an investigation into Trump’s removal of official documents from his residence, the Washington Post reported Thursday. The FBI is likely to investigate whether any foreign actors have access to confidential information reported by The New York Times.
The House Control and Reform Commission launched an investigation into the confiscated boxes of documents in February.
Trump said the repatriation of official documents was completely “routine” and “ordinary”.
Source: Huffpost
