In the dispute over the surrender of the files for the storming of the Capitol, the former US President Donald Trump achieved a success. An appeals court in Washington granted an urgent application by Trump, suspending the planned handover of the documents to Congress at the last minute for the time being. The court scheduled a hearing on November 30th. The step was "in no way to be understood as a decision in the matter," said the three judges.
In a decision published on Tuesday, a US federal court approved the transfer of the secret documents to a parliamentary committee of inquiry of the House of Representatives . Previously, President Joe Biden had already approved the transfer of the documents from the National Archives. The files should actually be handed over to the MPs this Friday.
The former US President refuses to hand over the more than 770 archive pages to the House of Representatives. These include records from former chief of staff Mark Meadows, former advisor Stephen Miller, and former vice legal advisor Patrick Philbin. Other documents Trump wants to keep secret include memos to his former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, a handwritten note on the events of January 6, and a draft of his speech at a rally before the Capitol storming.
"Presidents are not kings"
Trump had invoked the so-called executive privilege in his lawsuit against the surrender of the files. This is the president's prerogative to withhold certain information from Congress or the courts. In Tuesday's decision, however, the Federal Supreme Court rejected this argument. Trump's "stance that he can override the express will of the executive is based on the assumption that his executive powers are 'lifelong,'" said judge Tanya Chutkan. "But presidents are not kings, the plaintiff is not president." Executive privilege exists to protect the government and not a single person who is also no longer president.
Trump does not recognize his election defeat last November against Joe Biden to this day. He repeated his unsubstantiated accusation of massive electoral fraud in front of supporters in Washington on January 6, when Congress wanted to certify Biden's election victory. Trump called on his audience to march to the Capitol. Hundreds of radical Trump supporters stormed the parliament building as a result. Five people were killed in the course of the violence.
The House of Representatives immediately initiated impeachment proceedings against Trump. In the impeachment process in the Senate, however, the two-thirds majority required for a conviction was not achieved. The House of Representatives then set up a committee of inquiry to clarify the background to the storming of the Capitol.
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