Why historians may 'suffer far from more holes' than usual while researching the Trump administration
You may have heard the tales of President Trump tearing up documents after reading them, leaving aides to try to glue them back together. Well, that flippant attitude toward recordkeeping has left historians frustrated, as Trump's papers begin their migration to the National Archives and Record Administrations, The Associated Press reports.
In addition to mishandling records, AP notes, Trump also showed a willingness to try to erase certain records, like when he confiscated an interpreter's notes after he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017, driving speculation that the two talked about Russia's 2016 election interference in some capacity. Per AP, Trump's staff also had to be reminded not to use private email or text messaging systems to conduct official business and, if they did, to take screen shots of the exchanges and copy them into official email accounts, which are preserved. Still, it's unclear how closely that was followed.
"It's an open question to me about how serious or conscientious any of these people have been about moving them over," Tom Blanton, the director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University, told AP.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations' Richard Immerman believes "historians are likely to suffer from far more holes than has been the norm" because of that potential gap. The situation could obviously be a problem for historians who rely on such records for their research, but Lee White, the director of the National Coalition for History, added that presidential records also "tell our nation's story from a unique perspective and are essential to an incoming administration in making informed decisions." Read more at The Associated Press.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Are 'judge shopping' rules a blow to Republicans?
Today's Big Question How the abortion pill case got to the Supreme Court
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Climate change is driving Indian women to choose sterilization
under the radar Faced with losing their jobs, they are making a life-altering decision
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
'A great culture will be lost if the EV brigade gets its way'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date
Speed Read The former president's fraud bond has been reduced to $175 million from $464 million
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New Jersey first lady exits race to replace Menendez
Speed Read Tammy Murphy dropping out paves the way for Rep. Andy Kim to become the state's next senator
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia blames Ukraine for deadly ISIS Moscow attack
Speed Read Putin has ignored the Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the concert hall shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump-RNC pact puts Trump legal bills ahead of GOP
Speed Read The former president has struck a deal with the Republican National Committee to put donations toward his legal bills
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Vietnam president resigns amid scandal
Speed Read Vietnam loses its second president in two years as Vo Van Thuong steps down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published