Did Trump Flush Government Papers Down The Toilet? Ex-President Lashes Out Over Book's Claim

Former President Donald Trump has forcefully denied accusations that he may have clogged a White House toilet by flushing official government documents. This claim, which is mentioned in New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman's upcoming book "Confidence Man,” comes amid heightened scrutiny of Trump’s handling of government documents while in office and allegations that he may have violated federal law.

Haberman, whose coverage the former president was fixated on, according to Axios, wrote in her book that staff in the White House periodically found that pieces of paper had clogged a toilet, leading them to believe Trump attempted to flush documents he had ripped apart.

On Thursday, Trump issued a statement calling the assertion “another fake story” that is “categorically untrue and simply made up by a reporter in order to get publicity for a mostly fictitious book.”

Trump also defended his interactions with the National Archives and Records Administration, the government agency responsible for maintaining official records for government and historical documents.

“The media’s characterization of my relationship with NARA is Fake News. It was exactly the opposite!” read the statement. “It was a great honor to work with NARA to help formally preserve the Trump Legacy!”

Haberman’s claims follow a series of reports that Trump carried away boxes of documents from his time in office from the White House to his club in Mar-a-Lago in Florida. It has been reported that some of this material possibly contained classified information, including letters he shared with North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un. Trump handed over a dozen boxes of materials to the National Archives last month.

Beyond storing papers, Trump was also said to have habitually torn apart documents during his time as president. The Independent reports that stories indicate aides scrambled to gather the tattered remains of these documents and piece them back together for proper preservation.

On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that the National Archives requested that the Justice Department look into Trump’s handling of the documents he kept to determine if he violated any criminal laws.

However, the law on properly storing government documents lacks a clear enforcement mechanism, which means it is uncertain how or if Trump will be punished for his actions.