Former President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the Jan. 6 select committee and the National Archives in an attempt to block the release of presidential records linked to his discussions surrounding the Capitol riot.
In the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday (Oct. 18), Jesse Binnall, Trump’s attorney, argued the committee “has decided to harass President Trump … by sending an illegal, unfounded, and overbroad records request to the Archivist of the United States.” Binnall also accused President Joe Biden of engaging in “a political ploy to accommodate his partisan allies” by declining to bar the release of Trump’s records to the insurrection committee.
“The Committee’s request amounts to nothing less than a vexatious, illegal fishing expedition openly endorsed by Biden and designed to unconstitutionally investigate President Trump and his administration,” Binnall wrote. “Our laws do not permit such an impulsive, egregious action against a former President and his close advisors.”
The suit is asking that the district court “invalidate the Committee’s requests” and prohibit the National Archives from handing over the documents. “At a bare minimum, the Court should enjoin the Archivist from producing any potentially privileged records until President Trump is able to conduct a full privilege review of all of the requested materials,” he added.
Earlier this month, Biden ordered the National Archives to release the records that Trump tried to list as privileged data.
Lawmakers reportedly want the documents as part of their investigation into the pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol building trying to block Congress from certifying Biden’s Electoral presidential win. Several people were killed during the insurrection, including Brian Sicknick, a Capitol police officer who died a day after sustaining injuries in the attack.
Back in August, the Capitol police officers filed a lawsuit against Trump, Roger Stone and several far-right “violent extremist groups” for being directly responsible for the Jan. 6 attack.