Assault on Capitol Hill: to block investigation, Trump tries to keep documents secret

He has no intention of dropping the case, nor of giving the investigators a gift.

Former US President Donald Trump has taken legal action to block the disclosure of White House documents relating to the murderous assault by his supporters on Capitol Hill, according to a court record released on Monday.

The billionaire invoked the executive's right to keep certain information secret to prevent former aides from providing evidence to Congress.

In detail, Donald Trump's complaint asks a federal judge to declare any request from the commission as inadmissible and to prevent the National Archives from sending any documents.

The former president has already asked his key aides, from his last chief of staff Mark Meadows to his political strategy adviser Steve Bannon, to ignore subpoenas to appear before the parliamentary commission of inquiry.

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"The commission's request is nothing more than a vexatious and illegal attempt to fish for information, openly supported by Biden and designed to unconstitutionally investigate President Trump and his administration," the complaint points out. filed in a Washington court.

Disclosure authorized by Joe Biden

Thousands of supporters of the Republican president stormed the seat of the US Parliament on January 6, in an attempt to block Democrat Joe Biden's electoral victory.

Earlier in the day, Donald Trump gave a speech to the crowd a few hundred yards away, arguing - without merit - that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from him.

VIDEO.

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Parliamentary investigators are seeking testimony from officials who could discuss what the president knew about the assault before it unfolded, and what he did when the event occurred. Since late August, the National Archives has sent numerous official documents requested by investigators to teams of Donald Trump and President Biden, giving them 30 days to review them.

In its case law, the Supreme Court has ruled that presidents have the right to keep certain documents and interviews confidential in order to ensure more frank discussions with their advisers.

No court has, however, affirmed that this privilege applied to former presidents.

For now, the current president, Joe Biden, has the final say on the matter.

He has already claimed that he would allow the disclosure of a first batch of documents, dismissing the objections of his predecessor.