Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Monday in a Washington D. C. court against the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol incident and against the National Archives in a bid to keep his presidential records classified, citing executive privilege.
Trump’s court filing, namely, argues (pdf) that the committee’s records request is too broad and doesn’t serve any legislative purpose.
“The Committee’s request amounts to nothing less than a vexatious, illegal fishing expedition openly endorsed by [President Joe] Biden and designed to unconstitutionally investigate President Trump and his administration,” the lawsuit said. “Our laws do not permit such an impulsive, egregious action against a former President and his close advisors.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), one of the chairs of the House select committee, and the national archivist, David Ferriero, were also named as defendants in the lawsuit.
“In cases like this, where a committee has declined to grant sufficient time to conduct a full review,” Trump’s court filing said, “there is a longstanding bipartisan tradition of protective assertions of executive privilege designed to ensure the ability of the Executive to make a final assertion, if necessary, over some or all of the requested material.”
The Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional should it be “read so broadly as to allow an incumbent President unfettered discretion to waive the previous President’s executive privilege, mere... (Read more)
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