Archives found possible classified material in boxes returned by Trump

The National Archives and Records Administration discovered what it believed was classified information in documents Donald Trump had taken with him from the White House as he left office, according to a person briefed on the matter.

The discovery, which occurred after Trump returned 15 boxes of documents to the government last month, prompted the National Archives to reach out to the Justice Department for guidance, the person said.

The department told the National Archives to have its inspector general examine the matter, the person said.

It is unclear what the inspector general has done since then, in particular, whether the inspector general has referred the matter to the Justice Department.

An inspector general is required to alert the Justice Department to the discovery of any classified materials that were found outside authorized government channels.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the National Archives had asked the Justice Department to examine Trump's handling of White House records.

Officials with the National Archives did not respond to messages seeking comment.

In January, Trump handed over more than a dozen boxes of materials, including documents, mementos, gifts and letters. Among the documents were the original versions of a letter that former President Barack Obama had left for Trump when he was first sworn in and letters written to Trump by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The boxes had originally been sent to Mar-a-Lago from the White House residence. Legally, Trump was required to leave the documents, letters and gifts in the custody of the federal government so the National Archives could store them.

After the FBI, during the 2016 presidential campaign, investigated Hillary Clinton's handling of classified material while she was secretary of state, Trump assailed her, helping make the issue pivotal in the outcome of that race. In that case, the intelligence community's inspector general had made a national security referral to the FBI, prompting the investigation of Clinton.

If Trump was found to have taken materials with him that were still classified at the time he left the White House, prosecuting him would be extremely difficult and it would pit the Justice Department against Trump at a time when Attorney General Merrick Garland is trying to depoliticize the department.