Trump vows to replace National Archives chief as lead prosecutor in classified documents case leaves DOJ

As Donald Trump prepares to take office this month, two agencies involved in the criminal case accusing the president-elect of mishandling classified documents are facing a change in key positions.

Jay Bratt, one of the lead prosecutors in the since-dismissed documents case, left the Justice Department last week, a spokesperson confirmed Monday.

Bratt, a senior national security official assigned to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office, retired Friday after 34 years with the department.

NBC News reported that Smith and his team plan to resign before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

Meanwhile, Trump said Monday that he intends to replace Colleen Shogan as head of the National Archives.

“We will have a new archivist,” Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt.

In response to a request for comment, the Archives said in a statement Monday evening that Shogan “has had a strong working relationship” with Trump and his team.

“We look forward to continuing this relationship with the new administration,” the statement said.

The National Archives alerted the Justice Department in 2022 that Trump had potentially mishandled classified materials after failing to return all requested documents, according to the federal indictment. If Trump ended up handing over some of the requested documents, he hid others. Shogan, the first woman to head the agency, was not in the top job at the time.

The FBI then raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, and Trump became the first former president charged with federal crimes. He has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.

Presidents are required to turn over their files to the National Archives once they leave office.

A federal judge appointed by Trump threw out the case in July on the grounds that Smith’s nomination was unconstitutional. Smith appealed but was forced to end the case after Trump was elected to a second term, given the Justice Department’s long-standing policy that a sitting president cannot be prosecuted.

Trump and his allies have repeatedly promised to investigate alleged opponents and critics. Trump’s pick for FBI director, Kash Patel, has used allegations of a “deep state” plot to fuel his rise in Trump’s circle and vowed to go after to judges, lawyers and journalists who investigated Trump.

The president has the power to remove the director of the National Archives and choose a replacement, who must be confirmed by the Senate.