Early in the morning of Feb. 6, a news brief was posted by ABC News claiming that Marco Rubio was now - and has been - the acting director of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), effectively replacing Dr. Colleen Shogan as Archivist of the United States. An anonymous "high level official" was cited as the source. This news brief was shared in a popular Facebook group used by many archivists, sparking uncertainty and concern. During the day on Friday, 2/7, the piece was updated to clarify that this was an unverified report.

Just before 8:30am Eastern, FoxNews shared a slightly longer news piece, citing an attempt to contact the State Department for confirmation with no immediate response. Other news outlets have circulated similarly brief reports, though 404 Media's piece includes reports from additional anonymous NARA employees.

Just after 10:00am Eastern, Wall Street Journal reporter Rachel shared a tweet with a quote from Ellis Brachman, NARA Senior Advisor: “Dr. Shogan has been running the agency since Inauguration Day. We have been working closely with the White House on a number of issues and have had no indication of any changes.”

CoSA Executive Director Joy Banks reached out to NARA contacts immediately upon seeing reports and remains in contact should additional information be available.

Banks met with Dr. Colleen Shogan and Jay Trainor, NARA Chief Operating Officer, in Washington, DC on January 27. At that meeting, there was no indication that a shift in NARA leadership had occurred.

Update Feb. 7, 8:54 pm: CBS news reported at 8:35pm that Dr. Colleen Shogan has been fired, citing a tweet from Sergio Gor, director of the Presidential Personnel Office.

Update Feb. 15, 7:40 am: CNN reported that Jay Bosanko, acting AOTUS since Dr. Shogan's dismissal, has notified staff of his retirement (others report a resignation). CoSA and our partner organizations are reviewing our 2022 Statement on the Essential Attributes of the Archivist of the United States for wide distribution in anticipation of the nomination process.

Update Feb. 19, 10:30 am: On Sunday, 2/16 The Hill reported on the appointment of Jim Byron as "Senior Advisor to our Acting Archivist, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio," quoting a post to Truth Social by President Trump. CoSA continues to monitor the nomination process of the Archivist of the United States.

CoSA will continue to update as additional information comes to light.