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Capitol Insurrection Donald Trump The Trump Adminstration

Court Filing Lists The Incriminating Documents Trump Wants To Keep Hidden From The Jan. 6 Committee

If you were wondering why failed, one-term, twice-impeached former President Donald Trump is trying so desperately to keep some of his former White House records hidden from the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, a court filing has shed new light on exactly what Trump fears may be shared with congressional investigators.

USA Today reports Trump has claimed executive privilege over 39 pages of the 136 pages that were set to be released last Friday by the National Archives before a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. put a temporary hold on those documents:

These records all relate to the events on or about January 6, and may assist the Select Committee’s investigation into that day, including what was occurring at the White House immediately before, during and after the January 6 attack.

An even closer look at the specifics of what Trump wants to keep from the committee suggests that the former president is terrified of his own personal liability in regard to the insurrection which left five people dead earlier this year:

Of the 763 pages in which Trump asserted privilege, 629 are talking points prepared for the press secretary and 43 include presidential schedules, appointments, activity logs, call logs, among other documents, according to the filing from the National Archives. The National Archives identified nearly 1,600 pages of records that fit the committee’s request, with thousands more yet to be reviewed, according to the agency. Trump sought to keep nearly half the pages confidential, but the Justice Department replied that they are crucial to the investigation.

The Select Committee has asked for any and all records (including but not limited to calendar entries, photographs, and videos) that are connected to the effort to delay certification of the electoral vote on Jan. 6, when Congress was meeting in joint session to name Joe Biden 46th President of the United States in accord with the process laid out in the U.S. Constitution.

Though Trump and his allies have repeatedly asserted they weren’t involved in the violence which took place on Jan. 6, their repeated efforts to keep records hidden and refusal to obey congressional subpoenas suggest there are ulterior motives that go far beyond defending the principle of executive privilege, which only applies to sitting officials, not former office holders.

The D.C. Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments on whether or not to release the documents to the Select Committee on Nov. 30 and a ruling is expected shortly after those are completed.

By Andrew Bradford

Proud progressive journalist and political adviser living behind enemy lines in Red America.

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