Trump sues U.S. House committee investigating Jan. 6 attack on Capitol

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 (Reuters) – Former President Donald Trump on Monday sued the U.S. Congressional Committee investigating the January 6 riots at the Capitol, alleging members made an illegal request for his White House records.

Trump alleged in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that the materials requested by the House Committee fall under a legal doctrine known as executive privilege that protects the confidentiality of some White House communications.

“The committee’s demands are unprecedented in breadth and scope and are independent of any legitimate legislative purpose,” wrote Trump’s attorney Jesse Binnall in the lawsuit.

Committee members Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, and Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, said in a written statement in response to Trump’s lawsuit that the former president was trying to “delay and obstruct” their investigation.

“It’s hard to imagine a more compelling public interest than trying to get answers to an attack on our democracy and an attempt to overturn the results of an election,” Cheney and Thompson said in the statement.

Hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the seat of Congress on Jan. 6 to prevent lawmakers from confirming Democratic President Joe Biden’s election victory. More than 600 people will be prosecuted for the event.

Trump was charged by the Democrat-led House of Representatives for inciting the attack on the Capitol in a fiery speech at a rally earlier in the day. He was acquitted by the Senate.

US MPs Elaine Luria (D-VA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) speak to the press after the House Select Hearing of the committee to investigate the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill in Washington, USA, July 27, 2021. Chip Somodevilla / Pool via REUTERS / File Photo

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Earlier this month, Biden authorized the National Archives to issue an initial batch of documents requested by the select committee. The archives have announced that they will release the requested material next month, according to Trump’s lawsuit requesting an injunction to stop the process.

Michael Stern, a former congressional attorney, said Trump’s strategy could be to block the work of the special committee through litigation.

“If he is ready to pay for the lawyers, Trump could delay the creation of the files for some time,” said Stern.

The Jan. 6 committee also issued subpoenas calling for testimony to Trump advisors, including political strategist Steve Bannon.

Bannon has refused to testify until Trump’s claim of executive privilege has been resolved by a court or through negotiations with the committee.

The committee said last week it would formally ask the US Department of Justice to bring criminal charges against Bannon for disregarding the subpoena.

The committee has summoned other officials, including former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, and former Defense Department official Kash Patel.

Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Additional coverage from Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Peter Cooney

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