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Former President Donald Trump took White House documents with him to Mar-a-Lago, report says

National Archives recently retrieved items from Trump's Palm Beach estate, Washington Post reports
President Donald Trump superimposed over Mar-a-Lago Club backdrop, February 2022
Posted at 1:38 PM, Feb 07, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-07 13:38:08-05

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — When former President Donald Trump left office last year and headed south for his Mar-a-Lago Club, he took with him several boxes of official White House records and memorabilia that should have been given to the National Archives, the Washington Post reported.

The National Archives recently had to recover the documents from Trump's Palm Beach estate, three sources told the newspaper.

Among the items recovered included correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which Trump once described as "love letters," and a letter that former President Barack Obama left for his successor in 2017, the newspaper reported.

President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un shake hands, June 12, 2018
U.S. President Donald Trump reaches to shake hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un at the Capella resort on Sentosa Island in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

Taking the items would appear to be a violation of the Presidential Records Act, which requires White House officials to maintain and preserve official documents.

Some former Trump aides told the newspaper they don't believe Trump was acting with criminal intent.