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Trump sues to try to stop the release of documents related to the Capitol riot

Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Oct. 9 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Scott Olson
/
Getty Images
Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Oct. 9 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Former President Donald Trump is suing the Democratic-led House select committee that's investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and the National Archives, to try and stop documents related to the riot from being turned over to the panel.

"The Committee's request amounts to nothing less than a vexatious, illegal fishing expedition openly endorsed by [President] Biden and designed to unconstitutionally investigate President Trump and his administration. Our laws do not permit such an impulsive, egregious action against a former President and his close advisors," the lawsuit, which was filed Monday in district court in Washington, D.C., says.

Trump had urged former officials in his administration not to comply with subpoenas from the House panel, citing executive privilege. However, that power applies to the current sitting president only, not former ones.

Earlier this month, Biden authorized the National Archives to share a first group of documents requested by the committee, adding that other requests would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Lawyers for Trump described the Biden administration's waiver of executive privilege as a "myopic, political maneuver."

The Jan. 6 committee and its chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., had no immediate comment on the lawsuit.

Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich criticized the House investigation as "hyper-partisan" and said Trump "filed a lawsuit in defense of the Constitution, the Office of the President, and the future of our nation, all of which the sham Unselect Committee is trying to destroy."

Two Republicans who have been critical of Trump's actions related to the Jan. 6 attack sit on the committee. That followed the House Republican leader pulling all of his selections to the panel after Democrats objected to two of them.

Turning to the courts has been a maneuver used by Trump throughout his presidency to keep potentially embarrassing documents, such as his tax returns, out of the public eye.

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Caitlyn Kim