Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to prevent the House’s January 6th committee from obtaining records from his time in office.
The Washington Post reports:
Trump wants the justices to reverse a unanimous ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which rejected his assertions of executive privilege and request to keep secret roughly 800 pages of Trump’s papers. President Biden determined the material could be released to the committee.
Trump said the high court should determine whether that is proper.
“Absent judicial intervention, President Trump will suffer irreparable harm through the effective denial of a constitutional and statutory right to be fully heard on a serious disagreement between the former and incumbent President,” wrote Trump’s lawyer Jesse R. Binnall.
In the court filing, Trump’s legal team argues that he “is more than an ordinary citizen” and has “special authority to make determinations regarding the disclosure of records and communications created during their terms of office.”
The filing also contends that House lawmakers probing the Capitol riot are “acting more like an inquisitorial tribunal than a legislative committee.”
CNN provides background:
The House committee — charged with investigating the US Capitol attack to provide recommendations for preventing such assaults in the future — seeks the documents, currently held by the National Archives, to explore Trump’s role in trying to overturn the election, including his appearance at a January 6 rally when he directed followers to go to the Capitol where lawmakers were set to certify the election results and “fight” for their county.
Since an appeals court panel previously said they’d delay release of the documents if the Supreme Court decides to consider the matter, Trump’s filing effectively suspends the committee’s ability to obtain the records it seeks, including handwritten notes, draft documents and daily logs.
If the Supreme Court fails to issue a decision before the 2022 midterms, Republicans can win back control of the lower chamber and shutdown the 1/6 investigation.
