Donald Trump ‘improperly’ took Kim Jong-un ‘love letters’ from White House to Mar-a-Lago
- The US National Archives says it has retrieved 15 boxes of documents that should have been turned over at the end of the ex-president’s term
- The news raises questions about Trump’s adherence to presidential records laws; papers released to a Capitol riot probe had been torn up and taped back together
The US National Archives said Monday it had retrieved 15 boxes of records that had been improperly removed from the White House and taken to Donald Trump’s southern Florida home – including “love letters” from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The documents and mementos – which also included correspondence from ex-US president Barack Obama – should by law have been turned over at the end of Trump’s presidency but instead ended up at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) pursues any records it learns have been “improperly removed or have not been appropriately transferred to official accounts”, Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero said.
“Whether through the creation of adequate and proper documentation, sound records management practices, the preservation of records, or the timely transfer of them to the National Archives at the end of an administration, there should be no question as to need for both diligence and vigilance. Records matter,” he added.
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The agency said it did not get hold of the records until mid-January, however – almost a year late.
The former president, waxing rhapsodic about his relationship with Kim, told a West Virginia rally in 2018: “We fell in love. No, really. He wrote me beautiful letters.”
