The House Select Committee, which is responsible for investigating the events leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot, has gained access to Trump White House records after the Supreme Court denied the former president's attempts to block the process.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court's decision cleared the way for the release of the highly-contested records. The order means that more than 700 documents can now be transferred to Congress that some lawmakers believe could show details on events prior to the Capitol Hill insurrection of loyal Trump supporters.
Supreme Court's Decision
More than a year ago, the incident had hundreds of rioters, who believed that former President Donald Trump was the rightful winner of the 2020 elections, stormed the Capitol to stop Joe Biden's certification. Only Justice Clarence Thomas publicly said that he never granted Trump's request to block the document handover from the National Archives to the House Select Committee.
On the other hand, Biden's administration supported the release of the documents to the select committee, arguing that it was in the best interest of the nation to decline Trump's executive privilege. The panel is seeking to explore the former president's role in the Capitol Hill riot and trying to overturn the 2020 election results, CNN reported.
Despite all of Trump's attempts to block the handover of the documents, he will not be able to appeal the Supreme Court's decision. In late 2021, the Republican businessman also made failed attempts in Washington, D.C.'s federal district and appeals court to block the panel from gaining access to the records. He then asked the Supreme Court to take the case in hopes of stopping the process.
Trump had previously argued, unsuccessfully, that he had the authority as a former president of the United States to invoke executive privilege to prevent the disclosure of the records. He cited that argument in his application to the Supreme Court.
White House Records
The lower courts ruled that Trump did not have the authority to override Biden's decision to waive executive privilege over the records. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court said that the situation where it is being questioned whether and when a former president could obtain a court order blocking the release of records despite an incumbent president saying they can be released was unprecedented, CNBC reported.
In a previous emergency application, Trump's lawyers said that Congress did not have authority to rifle through "confidential, presidential papers" of a former president to meet political objectives or advance a case study. They said that the requests were a sign of the panel's broad investigation of a political foe.
The White House counsel, Dana Remus, said that Congress was closely examining the assault on the country's Constitution and democratic institutions. She said that the actions were provoked and fanned by the people who swore to protect them. Remus noted that the conduct under investigation extends far beyond typical deliberations concerning the proper discharge of the president's constitutional responsibilities, the New York Times reported.
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