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Judge rejects Trump’s Jan. 6 executive privilege claim, Harry attacks Twitter

Nov 10, 2021

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United States District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected a request from lawyers for former President Donald Trump Tuesday. The lawyers had sought to block the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riots from receiving White House documents.

“The public interest lies in permitting — not enjoining — the combined will of the legislative and executive branches to study the events that led to and occurred on Jan. 6, and to consider legislation to prevent such events from ever occurring again,” Judge Chutkan wrote in her decision.

The judge denying the Trump lawyers’ request came after the former President claimed executive privilege over the documents. But last month, President Joe Biden said he will not invoke executive privilege to prevent the committee from accessing the documents.

“At bottom, this is a dispute between a former and incumbent President,” Chutkan wrote. “And the Supreme Court has already made clear that in such circumstances, the incumbent’s view is accorded greater weight.”

The National Archives could turn over the White House records as soon as Friday. According to an earlier court filing from the archives, the records include call logs, drafts of remarks and speeches and handwritten notes from Trump’s then-chief of staff, Mark Meadows. The National Archives has said there are also copies of talking points from then-press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and “a draft Executive Order on the topic of election integrity”.

The Friday timeline all depends on what happens next in the legal process.

“The battle to defend executive privilege for presidents past, present and future — from its outset — was destined to be decided by the appellate courts,” Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich tweeted late Tuesday. “President Trump remains committed to defending the Constitution and the Office of the Presidency, and will be seeing this process through.”

Meanwhile, Prince Harry revealed Wednesday he warned Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey the day before the Capitol riots. Harry’s comments came as he sharply attacked the failure of social media companies to challenge hate online during a panel on misinformation in California.

“Jack and I were emailing each other prior to Jan. 6 where I warned him that his platform was allowing a coup to be staged,” Harry said at the RE:WIRED tech forum. “That email was sent the day before and then it happened and I haven’t heard from him since.”

ATTORNEYS FOR FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAVE INDICATED THEY’RE GOING TO KEEP FIGHTING TO KEEP DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE CAPITOL RIOT OUT OF THE HANDS OF THE JANUARY 6 SELECT COMMITTEE.

THIS MOVE COMES AFTER A FEDERAL JUDGE DENIED TRUMP’S CLAIM OF EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE OVER HUNDREDS OF DOCUMENTS SOUGHT BY THE HOUSE COMMITTEE RELATED TO HIS ACTIONS AND CONVERSATIONS LEADING UP TO THE ATTACK AT THE CAPITOL THAT LED TO THE DEATH OF AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE.

THE JUDGE ISSUED A SCATHING OPINION…  WRITING QUOTE “PRESIDENTS ARE NOT KINGS, AND PLAINTIFF IS NOT PRESIDENT.”

SHE THEN ADDED, THAT SINCE HE ISN’T IN OFFICE ANY MORE, TRUMP QUOTE “NO LONGER REMAINS SUBJECT TO POLITICAL CHECKS AGAINST POTENTIAL ABUSE OF THAT POWER.”

ACCORDING TO CNN TRUMP’S LEGAL TEAM HAS INFORMED THE D-C DISTRICT COURT IT PLANS TO APPEAL THE JUDGE’S DECISION.

IN THE MEANTIME THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES REMAINS ON TRACK TO TURN OVER WHITE HOUSE RECORDS AS SOON AS FRIDAY HOWEVER THAT COULD CHANGE AS THE LEGAL PROCESS PLAYS OUT. =

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE AND HOW IT WORKS, CHECK OUT OUR DC DICTIONARY PIECE ON IT… JUST SEARCH DC DICTIONARY ON OUR WEBSITE.

STRAIGHT FROM DC, I’M ANNIE ANDERSEN