Trump's setback in his attempt to withhold January 6 documents

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(CNN) -

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday against former U.S. President Donald Trump in his bid to prevent his White House records from being turned over to the select House committee investigating incidents of the January 6th.

However, the Washington Circuit Court of Appeals held its ruling for two weeks so that Trump could seek an intervention from the Supreme Court.

"The events of January 6 revealed the fragility of those democratic institutions and traditions that perhaps we had come to take for granted," said the ruling of the Washington Circuit, written by Judge Patricia Millett, who was appointed by former President Barack. Obama In response, the President of the United States and Congress have ruled that access to this subset of presidential communications records is necessary to address a matter of great constitutional moment for the Republic. Former President Trump has not given this court any legal reason to set aside President Biden's assessment of the interests of the Executive Branch at stake, or to create a conflict of separation of powers that the Political Powers have avoided. "

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Joining Millett in the decision were Judge Robert Wilkins, appointed by Obama, and Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was appointed to the appeals court by President Joe Biden.

Biden had refused to assert executive privilege over the documents in question, having determined that the "unique and extraordinary" circumstances around January 6 warranted transparency, government officials said.

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Trump filed the lawsuit in October to prevent the National Archives from turning over the documents to the House committee.

The case revolved around how courts must handle situations in which a former president seeks to overturn the decision of a sitting president not to assert executive privilege.

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"What Mr. Trump is looking for is for an Article III court to intervene and annul those judgments of the president and Congress, delay the work of the commission and interrupt the negotiations and arrangements that the Political Powers have made," said the appeals court .

"But essential to the rule of law is the principle that a former president must meet the same legal standards to obtain preliminary injunctions as everyone else. And former President Trump has failed in that task."

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