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Storm of Trump supporters on the Capitol on January 6, 2021: Trump sues against the release of 770 archive pages
Photo: Mihoko Owada / STAR MAX / IPx
The archival documents about the storming of the Capitol, which ex-President Donald Trump wants to withhold from the US Congress, include records of high-ranking employees and a note to his former press spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany. This emerges from a court document published on Saturday in which the US National Archives lists the files against which Trump is taking legal action against their transfer to a parliamentary committee of inquiry.
Trump is suing the transfer of more than 770 archive pages to the House of Representatives, which, according to the National Archives, include records from his former chief of staff Mark Meadows, his former advisor Stephen Miller and former vice legal advisor Patrick Philbin.
Trump also wants to block the publication of the so-called Daily Diary of the White House - a record of his activities, trips, briefings and phone calls.
Other documents that Trump wants to withhold from MPs include memos to his former press secretary McEnany, a handwritten note on the events of January 6, and a draft of his speech at a rally before the Capitol storming.
Trump had urged his supporters to march on the Capitol and "show strength".
Radical Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington on January 6, when Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election was to be certified there.
Five people were killed.
The House of Representatives then set up a committee of inquiry to clarify the background to the storming of the Capitol.
Among other things, former Trump employees are to be interviewed.
The MPs also want to evaluate comprehensive documents.
Trump has, however, sued against the surrender of the files stored in the National Archives from his term of office.
The ex-president invokes the so-called executive privilege.
This allows a president to keep certain documents secret.
However, experts do not agree on whether the privilege also applies to a former president.
Even if Trump's legal defeat is likely, the lawsuit could delay the work of the investigative committee for months.
A hearing is scheduled for November 4th to review Trump's right to executive privileges.
Trump's confidante Steve Bannon also refuses to cooperate with the committee of inquiry.
Because he had ignored a subpoena from Congress, the House of Representatives last voted in favor of indicting Bannon.
sol / afp / ap