Donald Trump files lawsuit to block release of January 6 documents

Donald Trump files lawsuit to block release of January 6 documents

The committee’s request was a “vexatious, illegal fishing expedition” unprecedented in scope, the lawsuit said.







PTI









October 19, 2021 / 07:24 AM IST





Former President Trump sought to block the release of documents related to the January 6 insurrection to the congressional committee investigating the attack, challenging the decision of President Biden.

In a federal lawsuit, Trump said the committee request was “almost limitless in scope,” and sought records with no reasonable connection to that day. He alleged the committee is seeking potentially millions of presidential records that he asserts are covered by a broad range of privileges, including those that cover presidential communications and conversations between lawyers and a client.

The committee’s request was a “vexatious, illegal fishing expedition” unprecedented in scope, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit takes aim at the core oversight functions of Congress, saying the records being sought by lawmakers are not for “legitimate legislative purposes” and the committee does not have the powers of a law enforcement agency. It seeks an injunction to bar the archivist from producing them.

Biden has said he would not block the release to the committee, because the Jan. 6 attack was such an