The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, may obtain White House records related to the insurrection, foiling President Donald Trump’s attempts to stop their release.
Clarence Thomas was the only justice to dissent. The other eight, including the three nominated to the court by Trump, agreed that the former president’s attempt to invoke executive privilege was not applicable and that the hundreds of pages of documents maintained by the National Archives can be used in the committee’s investigation.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who authored the majority opinion, wrote that while it is reasonable for former presidents to keep some records private, “It could be argued that the strength of a privilege claim should diminish to some extent as the years pass after a former President’s term in office.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
