Forum Topic

You couldn't make it up, but you may have to

“The public will not see Donald Trump’s White House records for years, but there is growing concern the collection will never be complete – leaving a hole in the history of one of America’s most tumultuous presidencies.Trump has been cavalier about the law requiring that records be preserved. He has a habit of ripping up documents before tossing them out, forcing White House workers to spend hours taping them back together.White House staff quickly learned about Trump’s disregard for documents as they witnessed him tearing them up and discarding them. “My director came up to me and said, ‘You have to tape these together,’” said Solomon Lartey, a former White House records analyst.The first document he taped back together was a letter from Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, about a government shutdown. “They told [Trump] to stop doing it. He didn’t want to stop.”Lartey said the White House chief of staff’s office told the president that the documents were considered presidential records and needed to be preserved by law. About 10 records staff ended up on Scotch tape duty, starting with Trump’s first days in the White House through at least mid-2018.”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/17/historians-having-to-tape-together-records-that-trump-tore-upI suppose that he learnt something from Watergate and Nixon.

David Ainsworth ● 1927d12 Comments

And while we've strayed off topic, thePimlico Plumbers' proosal to require vaccination is going to be interesting. Looks like it's on dubious grounds from a legal perspective and if the government isn't allowing private inoculations may not be possible unless some type of certificate is available. One could see a case on public health grounds as plumbers are frequenting private houses, offices, etc and often have to work with others, but possibly an area that needs to be regulated?https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55654229

Michael Ixer ● 1926d

You're probably right.  The record will be there but if it's like the yellow fever certificate there may be a small fee.  Don't think this has been given much thought yet in government.

Jonathan Callaway ● 1926d

Jonathan. On the point of vaccine passports my understanding is that a record will be kept of who has has been vaccinated and with which vaccine type (and I assume the dates). Presumably if one needs a vaccines passport one in the future, one will be able to pay for one's GP to issues the necessary documentation?  

Michael Ixer ● 1926d

Johnathan. The recent Solar Winds security company compromise (allegedly by Russian hackers) used to infiltrate US government agencies (along with many commercial organisations around the globe) is a warning that no systems are completely safe. We also have the Hackney Council IT system attack which has put most of their systems off line since October and, among other issues, has caused a number of property transaction to fail because planning information in unavailable. Imagine the settled status system being offline for three months ... Of course paper can be lost but a combination of the two often works well.

Michael Ixer ● 1927d

Michael, you raise an important point about paper documents and the key role they play in legal and bureaucratic process.The EU Resettlement Scheme introduced by the Home Office is entirely online - you apply online and get an online confirmation as and when you qualify.  Nothing in writing.This will present problems to EU citizens leaving the UK and then coming home again - they may find it difficult to prove they are legally entitled to re-enter.  Recommendations (by some MPs to their constituents but not by the Home Office) is to print off the final e-message from the H O and keep it with their passport.  Unfortunately this message states at the end "this is not proof of your status" so anyone who wants to check has to go online to do so.  That will slow their progress through customs if nothing else.But the recent accidental loss of up to 400,000 police records due to human error does not bode well at all for the estimated 3,000,000 EU citizens who have so far been granted settled status.  No wonder they are campaigning for paper documents which the ever-efficient H O is refusing to supply.  A scandal of Windrush proportions is a real possibility.  I hope MPs of all parties challenge this and bring about a re-think.See  https://www.the3million.org.uk/physical-proofThis also reminds me that the government is not planning to issue vaccination passports for those who get their Covid jabs.  But you can be sure that many foreign countries will be demanding proof that you have had a jab but you will have no way to prove it.  Maybe you will have to get (and pay for) an unnecessary negative Covid test every time you travel.Life (and travel) is getting very complicated!

Jonathan Callaway ● 1927d

Yes true Michael and let's not forget Hillary's emails. The White House are not the best when it comes to electronic media either. I guess we are lucky they do not use parchment - too deer I suppose;)Most of the systems are online now, although recent reports about the National Police Computer system doesnt put one at ease.I made the mistake once of thinking my e-visa would be ok just being held on the phone. Thankfully the airline put me straight and printed a hard copy for me before departure.Signing car hire contracts are always tricky - especially when the international hire company print in the local language upon arrival!

Ed Robinson ● 1927d

Ed - interesting that the world still needs paper documents: birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, passports, driving licences, poweres of attorney, wills, probate grants, etc, and people aren't happy that proof of settles status is only online - I also seem to remember when car hire companies had to use the online check for licence points that caused problems? And many important contracts still require an initial by both parties on each page of the document ... So it's not just the US government sending paper memos ☺ 

Michael Ixer ● 1927d

Richard, as I understand it (and I may be wrong) the creation of an outgoing presidents library is a method of giving that outgoing president a tax break, a reward for office undertaken.

Clifford Cowell ● 1927d

The fact that they are still using paper says it all!

Ed Robinson ● 1927d

'External things are not the problem, it's your assessment of them,which you can erase right now'.  It seems according to above post, Trump's taking Marcus Aurelius advice to heart .

Barbara Shillabeer ● 1927d

Richard, he could probably fill a library with documents from all the lawsuits he's been involved in? David, one might have thought his staff could have devised a new process of taking a certified copy of everything they handed to him ...

Michael Ixer ● 1927d

I'm looking forward to the traditional establishment of his presidential library - from a man who has never read a book, not even the one he supposedly wrote.

Richard Carter ● 1927d