Trump asks Supreme Court to halt release of White House records

A House committee investigates into the Jan. 6 riots while former president and allies are trying to block the investigation under the most diverse arguments, including the invocation of executive privilege, a request that has now reached the Supreme Court.

Trump´s attorneys filed an emergency petition requesting a review of the ruling by the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which rejected in November Trump’s request to keep the records confidential.

According to Trump´s attorneys, releasing these records would set a bad precedent in future disputes over access to the confidential records of former presidents and also requested a temporary order blocking the release of records while the legal litigation proceeds.

What is at issue is whether Trump has the authority to prevent the records from being released, even if these are in the custody of an executive branch agency.

While the Supreme Court ruled that former presidents have some authority to enforce executive privilege, the extent of such a power is largely unsolved, The Hill newspaper reported.