Former President Trump asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to consider hearing his bid to stop a key part of the Jan. 6 Committee’s investigation.
In a brief filed Thursday, Trump asked the court to block the National Archives from complying with a committee-issued subpoena for his records.
Trump has claimed that as a former President, he can assert executive privilege over the records, potentially creating a new avenue for former presidents to shut down investigations into acts they took while in office.
Both a district court judge and a panel of judges on the D.C. circuit upheld the subpoena, noting that President Biden declined to assert privilege over the records.
Trump, who has sought to stymie Congress whenever it threatened to offer a venue to hold him accountable, told the Supreme Court that the rulings marked a dramatic expansion of congressional power.
“The decision of the court below substantially expands congressional power,” the brief reads. “Such expansion is at odds with the Presidential Records Act and directly contrary to this Court’s precedent and the Constitution.”
In fact, Trump is arguing for a dramatic arrogation of power for former presidents — giving them the ability to seal off White House records created during their tenure.
