The Justice Department has confirmed that President Donald Trump blocked the release of more than 4,100 documents related to the deadly January 6 riots.
In a court file On Monday evening, DOJ lawyers revealed that Trump had intervened to block the release of certain documents requested in a lawsuit filed by police officers injured by violent rioters at the U.S. Capitol. The documents were initially subpoenaed by the National Archives and Records Administration in February.
The filing included the Dec. 1 memo signed by Trump, which claimed the subpoena demanded an “extremely broad set of documents” and blocked the release of 4,152 documents.
“I have determined that the following documents are subject to a constitutional claim of executive privilege. This privilege helps respect the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution of the United States and the need for the President of the United States to receive frank and confidential advice in making decisions,” the memo said.
Trump’s memo asserted that claiming executive privilege did not waive other privileges, such as that relating to presidential communications, the deliberative process and attorney-client privilege.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson released a statement last week confirming that Trump had asserted executive privilege in response to demands for an “overbroad” investigation into the matter. Policy reported at the time.
With this action, Trump directly blocks a case alleging he helped fuel the riots. In a 2022 ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta, who is overseeing the ongoing case, found there were indications that Trump may have known that some of his supporters were armed and discouraged security checks.
