Former President Donald Trump is trying to keep his call records, election-related speech drafts, and handwritten notes under wraps from Capitol riot investigators, the National Archives revealed in a Saturday morning court filing, per Politico.
Trump reportedly wants to keep the records out of the hands of the congressional committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. "The filing details are the clearest indication yet of what Trump is trying to withhold from congressional investigators seeking information about his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and his activities on the day that a mob of violent Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and disrupted the peaceful transfer of power," writes Politico.
The documents he's hoping to shield reportedly include about 750 pages out of nearly 1,600 requested by investigators. Daily presidential diaries, pages of talking points from former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, and files on top aides are all reportedly being withheld. The list also includes handwritten memos from former chief of staff Mark Meadows about Jan. 6, former Vice President Mike Pence's call logs, and White House visitor records.
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Investigators want these records to better understand "what was occurring at the White House immediately before, during and after the January 6 attack," said Justice Department attorneys. Trump recently launched a lawsuit to block lawmakers from accessing the documents, but it wasn't previously reported just how many, or which types, of documents he wanted to protect.
The House, the National Archives, and the White House are all largely united in believing that Trump does not have authority to assert executive privilege over the documents, reports CNN.
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