Ex-President Donald Trump is taking legal action against the surrender of files in connection with the storming of the US Capitol. The former head of state is suing against the transfer of the documents from the National Archives to a parliamentary committee of inquiry, according to court documents published on Monday. “The committee’s request is tantamount to a harassing, illegal sniffing tour,” says the complaint filed in a Washington court.
Trump invokes executive privilege
The investigation directed against Trump was “unconstitutional”, it says in the lawsuit. The former president invokes the so-called executive privilege in his actions. This allows a president to keep certain documents secret.
However, legal experts disagree on whether the privilege also applies to a former president. Even if Trump’s legal defeat is considered likely, the lawsuit could delay the Congressional investigative committee’s investigation for months or years.
Radical Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in January when the election victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election on November 3 was to be certified there. Five people were killed.
Biden agrees to the release of files
The House of Representatives, controlled by Biden’s Democrats, subsequently set up a committee of inquiry to uncover the background to the storming of the Capitol. President Biden has already approved the transfer of documents from the National Archives, including minutes of meetings, emails and communications from the last few weeks of Trump’s term in office.
Trump had also urged former employees such as ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows and his former advisor Steve Bannon not to testify before the committee of inquiry. Indeed, despite a subpoena, Bannon had not appeared before the MPs.
Trump has not recognized his electoral defeat against Biden to this day. The 75-year-old continues to spread the false claim that he was deprived of a second term through massive electoral fraud. The right-wing populist, who is still very popular with the party base, repeatedly flirts publicly with a possible candidacy in the 2024 presidential election.