The country’s largest group of historians is suing the Trump administration after the Justice Department declared the president doesn’t have to follow the law requiring him to turn over his records.
The American Historical Association and American Oversight filed the lawsuit Monday in federal court, warning the administration is putting the public record at risk.
They called the case an effort to “preserve the historical record that belongs to the American people, before it is forever lost.”
“This case is about the preservation of records that document our nation’s history, and whether the American people are able to access and learn from that history,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit comes days after the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel said Trump “need not further comply” with the Presidential Records Act — a post-Watergate law that made presidential records public property.
The groups are asking a judge to step in, declare the law constitutional, and block Trump from using the opinion to keep official records.
“The Administration’s actions nullifying a law duly enacted by Congress, based on a legal determination that contravenes a decision of the Supreme Court, violate the separation of powers twice over,” the complaint states.
The Presidential Records Act requires materials like emails, call logs, and internal documents to be turned over to the National Archives after a president leaves office.
Trump previously faced scrutiny for keeping sensitive records at Mar-a-Lago after his first term and was later indicted on charges related to retaining classified information and obstruction. The case was dismissed after a judge questioned the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith.
Damn Deep State