Is intent required to bring a criminal case for retaining classified documents?
<p>If a president, vice-president, or congress person retains classified documents past their term does the government have to show intent for it to be criminal?</p>

<p>It is not a crime for a president or a vice-president to retain documents (any) past their term in office. It <em>is</em> required under <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/44/chapter-22" rel="nofollow noreferrer">44 USC Ch. 22</a> that a president or vice-president turn over records to the archivist, and if an ex-president refuses, a lawsuit could result whereby he is ordered to turn the records over. Intent or knowledge are therefore irrelevant since non-compliance is corrected but not punished.</p>

united-states