Trump asks Supreme Court to block Jan 6 docs release — Analysis
Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, requested the US Supreme Court to block release January 6 related documents requested by an investigative House Committee.
In an emergency petition filed on Thursday by his lawyers, Trump argued that releasing White House documents and communications with senior staff set a bad precedent – a legal argument his team had unsuccessfully made in the lower court in the past.
The petition is seeking a review of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals’ decisionYou can find more information here reject Trump’s request, which his lawyers argue gave the investigative congressional committee the “power” to “broadly seek the records of a prior presidential administration.”According to them, the ruling lacks “limiting principle.”However, the court found that Trump provided evidence. “no basis” for there to be a legal rejection of the committee’s request.
The committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot had previously requested hundreds of pages of records they claim will help in their investigation into the riot, Trump’s alleged role, and how to prevent future similar incidents.
Documents in question are communications with senior staff and activity logs. Speech notes can also be included. Trump invoked executive privilege in requesting the National Archives to retrieve the documents.
“They seek the president’s schedule, call logs, legal documents and briefing materials. They are interested in reviewing all White House emails concerning Donald Trump from January 6, 2021. They even want campaign polling data dating to April 2020,” Trump’s lawyers had argued.
The House committee’s investigation of the January 6 riot has become a controversial subject, with many Republicans arguing it is politically motivated and wasteful of government spending. Some Trump allies, like former White House strategist Steve Bannon or InfoWars founder Alex Jones have refused to cooperate with the committee’s investigation. Jones recently sued the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.California) and the committee.
Trump’s petition could lead to a temporary stay on the release of the documents, but four judges need to agree to actually hear the review before it can proceed.
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