Every administration since Reagan has mishandled classified documents, Archives say

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has informed lawmakers that every presidential administration since that of Ronald Reagan has mishandled classified materials.

NARA Chief Operating Office William Bosanko told members of the House Intelligence Committee in March that the agency had "found classified information in unclassified boxes" for all the presidential administrations "from Reagan forward," according to a transcript of the interview released on Wednesday.

Former President Ronald Reagan left office in early 1989 and was succeeded by George H.W. Bush. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden all fall under the scope of Bosanko's statement. He did, however, confirm that the boxes of materials he referenced were in NARA's custody at the time the agency made the discovery.

Information Security Oversight Office Director Mark Bradley also spoke to the committee, informing the panel of the pervasive nature of the problem, saying that "Since about 2010, we have gotten over 80 calls from different libraries where mostly Members of Congress have taken papers and deposited them in libraries for collections, their own papers."

"Anyway, when these records are being processed, librarians know to call us. We dispatch a team to go retrieve them and bring them back to Washington," he added.

Their testimony generated calls for reform of the process for handling classified materials from the panel.

"Testimony from the National Archives and Records Administration officials makes clear that the handling and mishandling of classified documents are a problem that stretches beyond the Oval Office," said Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner in a statement that accompanied the transcript's release. "In fact, dozens of former Members of Congress and senior government officials have taken classified documents with them after leaving office and donated them to libraries and universities across the country."

"This is a systemic problem that dates to the Reagan Administration. We need a better way for elected officials who are leaving office – in both the Executive Branch and Legislative Branch – to properly return classified material and protect the integrity of our national security," he added.

The transcript's release comes as both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden face special counsel investigations for their own alleged mishandling of classified materials.

The FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in August of 2022 and removed materials he had stored there. Biden came out forcefully against Trump's handling of the materials, though the discovery of classified documents at his former office and Delaware home has undercut his position somewhat.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed Special Counsels Jack Smith and Robert Hur to investigate Trump and Biden, respectively.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.