Daily US Times: President Biden has rejected an attempt by former President Donald Trump, a Republican, to withhold documents from the congressional committee investigating the Capitol riot.
The former president had argued that the records the Capitol Riot investigating committee requested should remain hidden under executive privilege, which shields some presidential communications.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon has vowed to resist a subpoena to appear before the inquiry.
The panel has threatened jail for any former White House officials who refuse to co-operate.
Mr Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol building on 6 January in a failed bid to overturn the certification of Mr Biden’s election victory in November.
Hundreds of supporters of Mr Trump have since been arrested for their actions that day. Prosecutions are still ongoing.
The committee investigating Capitol Riot asked for records of Trump in August t relating to the day’s events, including communications from Trump, members of his family, his lawyers, his top aides and other former members of his administration.
But the former president argued that he could claim executive privilege to prevent the documents from being handed over to the inquiry. Executive privilage allows a president to keep secret some of the communications related to their job.
Legal scholars are divided on whether executive privilege can be asserted by Mr Trump. The issue is likely to set off a series of legal challenges to be determined by the courts.
The White House wrote to the National Archives on Friday saying that said that Mr Biden “determined that an assertion of executive privilege is not in the best interests of the United States”.
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