The federal judge denied Trump’s request to block the records on Jan. 6

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WASHINGTON (AP)-A federal judge Tuesday denied former President Donald Trump’s request to block the release of documents to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot in the Capitol.

Rejecting a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said Congress has a strong public interest in obtaining records that could shed light on a violent uprising perpetrated by supporters. of the former president. He added that President Joe Biden has the authority to waive executive privilege on documents despite Trump’s statements otherwise.

Aside from the court order, the National Archives plans to provide Trump’s records to the committee by Friday. But Trump’s lawyers were quick to commit to an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The case is likely to head to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Below, this is a dispute between a former and incumbent President,” Chutkan wrote. “And the Supreme Court has already clarified that in such instances, the incumbent’s view is given greater weight.”

“Trump does not recognize the respect that should be paid” in judging Biden as the current president, Chutkan said. He cited examples of past presidents refusing to assert executive privilege and rejected what he said was Trump’s claim that executive privilege “exists forever.”

“Presidents are not kings, and the Plaintiff is not the President,” he said.

According to an earlier court filing from the archives, the records included call logs, drafts of statements and speeches and handwritten notes from Trump’s then chief of staff, Mark Meadows. There are also copies of the points in question from then-press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and “a draft Executive Order on the subject of electoral integrity,” the National Archives said.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., Who chairs the House committee, said in a statement after the decision that the records were essential for understanding the attack and “in my view, there is nothing more compelling interest of the public rather than getting answers about the attack on our democracy. ”

On CNN, Thompson said Trump should stop behaving like a “spoiled brat.”

Nine members of the House committee are investigating not only Trump’s behavior on Jan. 6-when he told a rally to “fight like hell” shortly before the rioters prevailed over law enforcement- but his efforts in the months before the unrest to challenge election results or hinder a peaceful transfer of power. The committee interviewed more than 150 witnesses and issued more than 30 subpoenas, including those announced Tuesday to McEnany and former top counsel Stephen Miller. It’s unclear, at this time, whether lawmakers will call Trump to testify.

Trump has repeatedly attacked the committee’s work and continues to promote baseless conspiracy theories about widespread election fraud, despite the fact that Biden’s victory was proven by all 50 states and his constituents. The claim has been rebuked by courts across the country.

In a lawsuit to block the National Archives from returning the documents, Trump called the House panel’s request an “irritating, illegal fishing expedition” that is “not tied to any legitimate legislative purpose.” Allowing the House to gain access to his records would also undermine executive privilege for future presidents, Trump’s lawyers have argued.

But Chutkan said that “the public interest rests on permitting- not mandating- the joint will of the legislative and executive branches to analyze the events that led to and occurred on January 6, and to consider- considering the law to prevent such events from happening again. ”

Trump spokeswoman Taylor Budowich tweeted late Tuesday that the case is “set to be decided by the Courts of Appeals.” He added that “Trump remains committed to defending the Constitution and the Office of the Presidency, and will go through this process.”

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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

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