The judge denied Trump’s latest attempt to block the release of the records on Jan. 6

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A federal judge on Wednesday night denied former President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to block the release of documents from his administration surrounding the Jan. 6 events.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan denied a request for an emergency injunction filed by Trump’s lawyers a day after he ruled against Trump, trying to prevent a House committee from receiving scores of White House documents from the Trump administration’s involvement in the unrest at the Capitol. Trump argued that the files were protected by executive privilege.

Chutkan, who declined on Wednesday to reverse his previous decision, said Trump still has time to file an appeal for an injunction. The National Archives plans to hand over Trump’s records Friday to the House committee investigating the unrest in January.

“This court cannot effectively disregard its own argument in denying injunctive relief in the first place to grant injunctive relief today,” Chutkan wrote.

Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump’s lawyers have vowed to appeal to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which could send the case to the Supreme Court. His attorneys have not yet filed their appeal with the DC Circuit.

Chutkan said Tuesday that Congress has a strong public interest in obtaining records that could shed light on the Jan. 6 attack. He also said that as incumbent, President Joe Biden has the authority to waive executive privilege on documents despite Trump’s assertions of privilege.

Biden has repeatedly said that executive privilege should not be used to block House committee document requests.

The committee asked the National Archives in March and August for documents related to the Trump administration’s actions before, during and after the attack. Trump notified the archives later that he had formally asserted executive privilege.

Dartunorro Clark covers politics, including the recovery of Covid-19, for NBC News.

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