Rubio leaves role as acting U.S. archivist
U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio is no longer serving as Acting Archivist of the United States, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) said on Thursday, noting that his responsibilities at the agency have been transferred to senior adviser James Byron in line with federal requirements, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The national archivist oversees the preservation and management of official government records and leads the National Archives. The institution has drawn political attention in recent years after alerting the Justice Department about the handling of classified documents by former President Donald Trump and requesting the return of presidential records from his private residence.
Rubio was appointed acting archivist within weeks of Trump’s return to office last year, following the dismissal of then-archivist Colleen Shogan. Since then, Rubio has held multiple senior roles across the administration - a workload that has generated public commentary and online humor, while also reflecting the president’s confidence in him despite their past rivalry during the 2016 Republican primary campaign.
According to NARA General Counsel Matt Dummermuth, Rubio stepped aside from the archives position to comply with the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which limits the length of time an official may serve in a Senate-confirmed role on an acting basis. His authority at the agency has been formally delegated to Byron, who previously served as a senior adviser to the archivist.
Beyond his archives duties, Rubio has played a visible role in several major policy initiatives, including efforts to expand U.S. oversight related to Venezuela following the seizure of President Nicolás Maduro, steps toward dismantling the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and actions linked to visa and green card revocations.
The National Archives was also central to the investigation that led to an FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022, after officials sought the return of presidential records taken from the White House at the end of his first term. NARA did not announce when a permanent archivist nominee might be named.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Donald Trump on Thursday announced the launch of TrumpRx.gov, a new government-run platform aimed at providing Americans with direct access to heavily discounted prescription drugs.
