General Discussion

Nevilledog

(51,080 posts) Fri Oct 8, 2021, 02:41 PM Oct 2021

Biden declines Trump request to withhold White House records from Jan. 6 committee

Link to tweet

Tweet text:
Mike Memoli
@mikememoli
·
Oct 8, 2021
NEWS: Biden has waived executive privilege on initial set of documents produced at request of Jan 6 Select Cmte.

Trump legal team sought to block some, but Biden WH counsel says in letter to National Archives obtained by NBC: “These are unique and extraordinary circumstances.”

Mike Memoli
@mikememoli
Full story:

Biden declines Trump request to withhold White House records from Jan. 6 committee
The White House is authorizing the National Archives to turn over documents covering all communications related to Trump’s activities on Jan. 6.
nbcnews.com
11:26 AM · Oct 8, 2021

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-declines-trump-request-withhold-white-house-records-jan-6-n1281120

WASHINGTON — The White House on Friday formally blocked an attempt by former President Donald Trump to withhold documents from Congress related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, setting up a legal showdown between the current and former president over executive privilege.

In a letter to the National Archives obtained by NBC News, White House Counsel Dana Remus rejected Trump’s attorneys' attempt to withhold documents requested by the House Select Committee regarding the then-president’s activities on Jan. 6, writing that “President Biden has determined that an assertion of executive privilege is not in the best interests of the United States, and therefore is not justified as to any of the documents.”

“These are unique and extraordinary circumstances,” Remus added. “Congress is examining an assault on our Constitution and democratic institutions provoked and fanned by those sworn to protect them, and the conduct under investigation extends far beyond typical deliberations concerning the proper discharge of the President’s constitutional responsibilities. The constitutional protections of executive privilege should not be used to shield, from Congress or the public, information that reflects a clear and apparent effort to subvert the Constitution itself.”

White House press secretary Jen Psaki had telegraphed the move two weeks ago, saying President Joe Biden had already concluded that it would not be appropriate to assert executive privilege related to Jan. 6 requests. But White House officials added that they had not yet done so related to requests from the Select Committee, and would make any determinations on a case-by-case basis.

*snip*