(PatrioticPost.com)- On Friday, the White House formally blocked an attempt by former President Donald Trump to withhold documents from the January 6 Select Committee, now paving the way for a legal battle between the former administration and the current one over Executive Privilege.
In a letter to the National Archives, Biden’s White House Counsel Dana Remus rejected an attempt by Trump’s attorneys to withhold documents requested by the January 6 Select Committee regarding Trump’s activities on that day.
In her letter, Remus wrote that President Biden determined that the assertion of Executive Privilege in this instance is not in the best interests of the United States, concluding that it is not justified in relation to any of the documents requested.
Remus defended the decision by invoking all the usual tropes assigned to the 3-hour riot at the Capitol – claiming “unique and extraordinary circumstances” because the melee was “an assault on our Constitution and democratic institutions.” She concluded the letter claiming that Executive Privilege “should not be used to shield” from the committee or the public “information that reflects a clear and apparent effort to subvert the Constitution itself.”
Wow, talk about laying it on thick.
Instead of upholding Executive Privilege, the White House authorized the National Archives to turn over the documents requested by the committee. And the National Archives quickly snapped to and started digging through the records.
Needless to say, President Trump was furious. In a lengthy statement, Trump slammed the Biden administration, accusing them of trying “to use Congress to persecute their political opponents.”
After releasing the statement, the former President formally invoked Executive Privilege over the documents requested. He highlighted about forty records that he objects to being released, adding that he preemptively asserts Executive Privilege over others in the request that he has yet to review.
This will require the National Archives to once again notify the Biden White House of Trump’s assertion, which the White House will no doubt reject. This will probably prompt a legal challenge from former President Trump.
While some believe that a legal challenge will ultimately fail, what it will do is delay the process. And if the Select Committee fails to get what they want by the time the new Congress is sworn in, it’s game over. This Select Committee only remains in place during the current Congress. When the new Congress is sworn in, whether Republicans take the House or not, this Select Committee will have to fold up its circus tent and call it a day.
