WASHINGTON (Fwrd Axis) — Federal judge Tanya Chutkan rejected a request from former President Donald Trump to withhold documents relating to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, clearing the way for the National Archives to hand over the documents.
Chutkan’s ruling came in the form of a 39-page document, which stated Trump is “unlikely to succeed on the merits of his claims or suffer irreparable harm,” and that “a balance of the equities and public interest bear against” granting his request to claim executive privilege since he no longer holds office.
“At bottom, this is a dispute between a former and incumbent President,” Chutkan wrote in the ruling. “And the Supreme Court has already made clear that in such circumstances, the incumbent’s view is accorded greater weight.”
Trump’s view “appears to be premised on the notion that his executive power ‘exists in perpetuity,’” Chutkan wrote. “But president are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.”
Lawyers for the former president say they intend to ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to keep the files private.
“The disagreement between an incumbent President and his predecessor from a rival political party highlights the importance of executive privilege,” Trump lawyer Jesse Binnall said in a court filing.
President Joe Biden has repeatedly denied Trump’s request to cite executive privilege to block the Jan. 6 committee’s document requests.
“The court holds that the public interest lies in permitting…the combined will of the legislative and executive branches to study the events that led to and occurred on January 6, and to consider legislation to prevent such events from ever occurring again,” Chutkan wrote.
The news comes on the same day the House select committee issued 10 subpoenas to former Trump officials, including Kayleigh McEnany and Stephen Miller.
“We believe the witnesses subpoenaed today have relevant information and we expect them to comply fully with the Select Committee’s investigation as we work to get answers for the American people,” said Select Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) in a statement.
