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Wednesday night, ABC News reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio “has been the acting archivist” at the National Archives and Records Administration “since shortly after President Trump’s inauguration.”
The idea that Rubio might be their new boss—and has been their boss, apparently, for weeks—is news to National Archives employees and apparently to its current director Colleen Shogan. Shogan held an all-hands meeting with archives employees on Tuesday in which nothing was said about Rubio and in which Shogan still seemed to be in charge.
“The suggestion that he’s been the archivist since the transition is a lie or misunderstanding, we just had a staff meeting with Shogan Tuesday,” one NARA employee told 404 Media. “Everyone is very confused. My coworkers seem to mostly assume it’s a bad news source.”
404 Media agreed to provide anonymity to sources in this article to discuss sensitive issues.
404 Media obtained notes from that all-hands meeting, in which Shogan was introduced as “the archivist of the United States” and in which she spoke at length about working with the Trump administration in recent weeks. Shogan is still listed as the Archivist of the United States on NARA’s website.
“We are required by law to follow the direction of the President, and we must implement the administration’s guidance,” Shogan said. “I understand that many of you are experiencing uncertainty and pressure from these developments, and I acknowledge the times of change are not easy, but I also believe that change can be an opportunity for growth, innovation, and strategic thinking.”
A NARA employee told 404 Media that Shogan has been working with the White House in recent days and that they are not aware of any changes to her role. A theme of Tuesday’s all hands was the idea that much of the federal government is being surprised with a variety of executive orders and actions and that everyone is doing the best they can with limited information.