Federal appeals court temporarily blocks release of Trump White House records

A federal appeals court on Thursday paused the release of Trump White House records to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

A lower court ruled earlier this week that former President Donald Trump could not keep the material secret under executive privilege, and immediately, Trump's lawyers filed an appeal. In its brief order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said the "purpose of this administrative injunction is to protect the court's jurisdiction to address appellant's claims of executive privilege and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits." A hearing is set for Nov. 30.

The National Archives was given a Friday evening deadline to turn over the first batch of records to the House select committee, including White House call and visitor logs and drafts of speeches. The House panel on Wednesday said it needs to get these documents as quickly as possible to move the investigation along. "The potential harm to the public is immense," the members stated. "Our democratic institutions and a core feature of our democracy — the peaceful transfer of power – are at stake."

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