A federal court issued a legal defeat to former President Donald Trump on Thursday by rejecting his bid to block the release of White House documents from his term to the Jan. 6 congressional committee.
Trump has argued that the documents fall under executive privilege protections, but the court found that there was enough evidence to link the former president to the violent rioting at the Capitol over the election.
The former president had requested of current President Joe Biden that he invoke executive privilege to protect the documents from the committee, but Biden refused in October.
“On the record before us, former President Trump has provided no basis for this court to override President Biden’s judgment and the agreement and accommodations worked out between the Political Branches over these documents,” said Judge Patricia Millett in the ruling from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
“Both Branches agree that there is a unique legislative need for these documents and that they are directly relevant to the Committee’s inquiry into an attack on the Legislative Branch and its constitutional role in the peaceful transfer of power,” Millett continued.
She went on to say that the Jan. 6 had “demonstrated a sound factual predicate” for the request of the documents.
“There is a direct linkage between the former President and the events of the day,” she wrote.
Trump has two weeks to appeal the decision, otherwise the National Archives will release the documents to the committee. He can ask for the full bench of the D.C. Circuit to weigh in, or he can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
All three judges of the appeals court circuit were appointed by Democratic presidents, one from Biden and two from former President Barack Obama.
Here’s more about the judgement Thursday:
Appeals court rejects Trump effort to deny records to Jan. 6 panel
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