U.S. appeals court rejects Trump’s bid to block Capitol attack records

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 (Reuters) – A U.S. appeal court on Thursday rejected former President Donald Trump’s request to hide records from the House of Representatives investigation into the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, saying he gave “no basis” for his request.

“Former President Trump has provided no basis for this court to override President Biden’s verdict,” the U.S. Court of Appeals ’three-judge panel wrote for the District of Columbia Circuit.

President Joe Biden had previously determined that the records, which belong to the executive branch, should not be subject to executive privilege and that returning them to Congress is in the best interest of the country.

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“Both branches agree that there is a special need in the legislature for these documents and they are directly related to the Committee’s inquiry into an attack on the legislature branch and its constitutional role in the peaceful transfer of power,” he said. said the court.

The decision marked another blow to the Republican former president, who has fought legally with the committee on access to documents and witnesses.

The House Select Committee investigating the riot has asked the National Archives, the U.S. agency that holds Trump’s White House records, to produce visitor logs, telephone records and written communications between his counselors.

The panel said it needed the records to understand any role Trump may have played in inciting violence.

Trump argued that the materials requested by the House committee were covered by the executive privilege legal doctrine that protects the confidentiality of certain communications with the White House.

Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson, who chairs the select committee, and its vice chair, Republican Liz Cheney, issued a statement applauding the court’s decision saying they respect the panel’s interest in obtaining the records. .

“We’re coming to the truth,” they said.

Trump’s lawyers called the Democrat -led investigation politically motivated, and argued that the documents were protected.

This is now the second time a federal court has ruled against Trump in the matter.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan denied in Nov. 9 Trump’s arguments, and said he did not acknowledge the “respect owed” to Biden’s determination that the committee access the records. adding: “Presidents are not kings, and the Plaintiff is not President.”

The court on Thursday gave Trump 14 days to file an emergency request with the Supreme Court to appeal the decision.

“Regardless of today’s appellate court decision, this case is always reserved for the Supreme Court,” Trump’s attorney Liz Harrington tweeted.

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Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis, Dan Grebler and Michael Perry

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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