U.S. appeals court rejects Trump's request to keep records regarding the Capitol attack

U.S. appeals court rejects Trump’s request to keep records regarding the Capitol attack. 

WASHINGTON – A U.S. appeals court on Thursday denied a request made by the former president Donald Trump to withhold records from the House of Representatives probe of the fatal attack on the Capitol in January. Six attacks at the Capitol in Washington, stating that he has given “no basis” for his request.

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

Vice President Joe Biden had previously determined that the files belonging to the Executive Branch shouldn’t be protected by executive privilege. 

Transferring them to Congress was best for the country.

“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,” the court stated.

The ruling is another setback to President Trump. Republican ex-president has been engaged in an eternal legal fight against the committee over access to witnesses and documents.

However, the House Select Committee investigating the protests has requested that the National Archives. 

The U.S. agency that holds the Trump White House records provide visitor logs, phone records, and letters between his advisors.

The panel has stated that it requires the documents to discover the possible role Trump might have played in provoking the violence.

Trump has stated that the documents requested from the House committee are covered under the executive privilege doctrine that guarantees the privacy of specific White House communications.

Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, who heads the select committee and the vice-chair of the committee, Republican Liz Cheney, issued a statement of appreciation for the court’s decision. 

They claimed it was in line with the committee’s desire to obtain the documents.

“We will get to the truth,” they promised.

Trump’s lawyers have accused the Democratic-led political-driven investigation and claim that the documents are secure.

It is the second time that a federal court has decided against Trump.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on November. 9 disapproved of Trump’s arguments in that he hadn’t admitted his “deference owed” to Biden’s decision that the committee was able to have access to the documents. But, the judge added: “Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.”

The court granted Trump the right to make an urgent application for the Supreme Court to appeal the decision.