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The
court's decision to formally reject Trump's appeal follows its
Jan. 19 order that led to the documents being handed over to the
House of Representatives investigative committee by the federal
agency that stores government and historical records.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
on Dec. 9 upheld a lower court ruling that Trump had no basis to
challenge President Joe Biden's decision to allow the records to
be handed over to the House of Representatives select committee.
Trump then appealed to the Supreme Court
Trump and his allies have waged an ongoing legal battle with the
House select committee seeking to block access to documents and
witnesses. Trump has sought to invoke a legal principle known as
executive privilege, which protects the confidentially of some
internal White House communications, a stance rejected by lower
courts.
The House committee has said it needed the records to understand
any role Trump may have played in fomenting the violence that
unfolded on Jan. 6, 2021. His supporters stormed the Capitol in
a failed bid to prevent Congress from formally certifying
Biden's 2020 presidential election victory over Trump.
The committee asked the National Archives to produce visitor
logs, phone records and written communications between his
advisers.
Biden, who took office two weeks after the riot, previously
determined that the records, which belong to the executive
branch, should not be subject to executive privilege.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)
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