Biden will not use executive privilege to hide Trump's records from Jan. 6 probe

President Biden will not invoke executive privilege to shield former President Donald Trump's records from the Jan. 6 select committee, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.

"The president has already concluded that it would not be appropriate to assert executive privilege," Psaki said, per Reuters. "And so, we will respond promptly to these questions as they arise." Trump reportedly has yet to ask Biden to protect any records, notes Politico.

The White House has been leaning toward releasing to Congress information regarding the whereabouts of Trump and his aides on Jan. 6, The Washington Post reports. The ex-president has said he will cite "executive privilege" to block any requests, "seeking protection from a legal theory that has allowed past presidents and their aides to avoid or delay congressional oversight for decades," writes Politico. Once the documents are delivered, Trump has "30 days to approve or deny the release." If he objects, Biden still has final say on the matter, per Politico.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

On Thursday, the House select committee subpoenaed several of Trump's ex-aides and advisers, including former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino.