Democrats demand Trump preserve AI chats

Representatives Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Robert Garcia of California are demanding President Trump preserve all conversations with AI chatbots including Grok, ChatGPT and Claude used for official duties.

The TIME report that sparked it

TIME reported in October that Trump met with Elon Musk in the Oval Office in December 2025 and spent hours asking Grok questions about his presidency and legacy during that meeting.

Trump asked Grok about Venezuela

While ordering missile strikes on Venezuelan boats, Trump asked Grok how Venezuelans would react if the U.S. captured President Nicolás Maduro. Grok said Maduro was deeply unpopular and his downfall would likely be celebrated.

Trump ordered military action weeks later

The following month, Trump ordered a military operation to seize Maduro, and celebrations erupted in the streets of Venezuela. Trump came away convinced that Grok was ingenious, according to officials.

Democrats call it deeply troubling

Raskin and Garcia argue Trump consulted Grok but not Congress on military deployment to Venezuela, circumventing Congress's constitutional power to declare war and introducing manipulable, error-prone technology into foreign policy.

“consulted Grok, but not Congress, on your military deployment to Venezuela, circumventing Congress's constitutional power to declare war”

Legal questions about AI records

The Presidential Records Act requires presidential records be preserved, but the statute does not mention AI.National Archives guidance treats prompts and outputs as records only if captured in agency systems, limiting reach for commercial chatbots.

Democrats prepare for House control

Whether the White House complies with the Democrats' demand, ignores it, or fights it could offer an early glimpse of confrontations awaiting Trump if Democrats reclaim the House in next week's midterm elections.