Supreme Court allows committee January 6 to receive Trump documents

WASHINGTON (AP)

In an objection to former President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court authorized the release of presidential documents sought by the congressional committee investigating the January 6 uprising.

Judges on Wednesday rejected Trump’s offer to withhold documents from the committee until the matter is ultimately resolved by the courts. Trump’s lawyers had hoped to prolong the court battle and keep the documents on hold.

Following the high court action, there were no legal obstacles to the transfer of the documents, which were held by the National Archives and Records Administration. These include the presidential diaries, visitor diaries, draft speeches, and handwritten notes relating to January 6 from former chief of staff Mark Meadows’ files.

The committee has begun receiving records that Trump wants confidential, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., committee chair and vice president, for know.

“Tonight’s Supreme Court action is a victory for the rule of law and American democracy,” Thompson and Cheney said in a statement pledging to “unveil all the truth about the June 6 violence.” January and its causes”.

White House spokesman Mike Gwin called the ruling “an important step forward” for the investigation, “and ensures accountability for an unprecedented attack on our democracy and the rule of law.” .”

The House committee agreed to postpone efforts to obtain some of the documents, at the request of the Biden White House. The current administration is concerned that the release of all Trump administration documents sought by the committee could compromise national security and executive privilege.

Alone among the judges, Clarence Thomas said he would accept Trump’s request to keep the documents on hold.

Trump’s lawyers have asked the high court to overturn federal appeals court rulings in Washington and block the release of the records even after President Joe Biden relinquished executive privileges over them.

In an unsigned opinion, the court admitted there were “serious and substantial concerns” about whether a former president could win a court order to prevent the disclosure of certain records. certain records from his time in office in a situation like this.

But the court noted that the appeals court determined that Trump’s assertion of privilege over the documents would be unsuccessful in any case, “even if he were incumbent.”

It said the issue of a former president’s ability to claim executive privileges would have to wait another day.

The court took issue with the appeals court’s conclusion that downplayed a former president’s interests, suggesting that the current president can essentially ignore the statements of his predecessor.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who served in the White House under President George W. Bush, wrote exclusively to argue that “a former President must be able to successfully exercise the President’s privilege of communication with respect to the President. The communications occurred during his Presidency, even if the current President did not endorse the request for privilege. ”

But Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, did not object to Wednesday’s results, and neither did the two other judges Trump selected, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett.

Before and after the riots, Trump promoted false theories about election fraud and suggested that the “real uprising” was on Election Day, when he lost to Biden.

Repeating arguments they made in lower courts, Trump’s attorneys urged the judges to step in, arguing that the case involved all future occupants of the White House. . Former presidents have “an explicit right to protect their confidential records from premature disclosure,” Trump’s attorney said.

They added: “Congress cannot engage in tortuous fishing expeditions in the hope of embarrassing President Trump or disclosing the sensitive and privileged communications of the President and his staff. he ”.

But the House committee responded in its high court summary that while the facts of the case were “unprecedented”, the decision “was not a difficult one”.

There was no explanation for the court’s processing time. But the National Archives told the appeals court and Trump’s attorneys that it would turn over some documents it insists were not part of the case on Wednesday without a new court order.

Also on Wednesday, the House committee investigating the Capitol uprising issued subpoenas to leaders of a far-right group who appeared at events promoting disingenuous claims. grounds for voter fraud after the 2020 election.

The committee has requested records and testimony from Nick Fuentes and Patrick Casey – internet figures who have championed white beliefs – regarding what lawmakers say is their advertising. spread unsupported claims about the election and their presence on the Capitol grounds on January 6, 2021.

Since its creation last summer, the committee has interviewed nearly 350 people as it seeks to create a comprehensive profile of the attack and the events leading up to it.

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Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

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