National Archives asks DOJ to investigate Trump's handling of White House records

The National Archives has asked the Justice Department to investigate former President Donald Trump's handling of White House records.

The National Archives has asked the Justice Department to investigate former President Donald Trump's handling of White House records, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday.

The request follows recent reporting around Trump's handling of documents following his departure from the White House last year, including earlier this week when the Archives confirmed it recently retrieved 15 boxes of records from Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that were improperly taken in violation of the Presidential Records Act.

The news was first reported by The Washington Post.

A source confirmed to ABC News that discussions in the department around the Archives' referral are in the very early stages, and it is not clear whether DOJ would open a formal investigation into the matter.