Trump asserts executive privilege to thwart Jan. 6 lawsuit

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Politico

12/03/2025 09:19 PM EST


President Donald Trump has asserted executive privilege to prevent courtroom adversaries from accessing evidence in a long-running lawsuit that accuses him of stoking violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The Justice Department disclosed Trump’s secrecy claim Wednesday in a hearing related to that five-year-old lawsuit, brought by police officers injured while attempting to repel the violent mob that day. The officers say Trump’s incendiary remarks to a crowd of supporters — and his direction that they march on the Capitol — fueled the riot that nearly derailed the transfer of power from Trump to Joe Biden and left 140 officers injured.

Trump’s decision to assert privilege adds to a concerted push to rewrite the story of his bid to subvert the 2020 election. Trump pardoned and ended the criminal cases of more than 1,500 people charged for their role in Jan. 6, and last month he issued a sweeping pardon for prominent allies who faced legal scrutiny for their part in the effort. In recent months, Trump has routinely promoted false and inflammatory claims that the FBI intentionally ignited the mayhem at the Capitol.

It’s unclear precisely which records Trump is attempting to keep out of the hands of the plaintiffs in the Jan. 6 lawsuit. However, a White House spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the president has decided to fight disclosure of some material subpoenaed from the National Archives and Records Administration last year.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/03/trump-executive-privilege-jan-6-lawsuit-00676383

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REFERENCES

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142721258
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142851110
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142873079
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142950823
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143025148
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143220285
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143227536
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143233687
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143294357

[FakeNoose]

1. Are we not to believe our own eyes and ears?

Last edited Thu Dec 4, 2025, 03:05 PM - Edit history (1)

We saw what he did and what he said on that day, along with millions of Americans.

[SergeStorms]

10. Unfortunately.....

our eyes and ears are not admissible as evidence in a court of law. King-Kon strikes again.

[Abstractartist]

2. Question?

Was the bullshit privilege SC ruling passed AFTER the Jan 6 treasonous attack? Would privilege cover that. If so, then Nixon must be cleared of watergate, and other presidents of the past must have their records sponged of any wrongdoing.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. We are in somewhat oddball territory

where after Biden was sworn in, there were cases that came up (like Mark Meadows) claiming "Executive Privilege), where that had been waived away by Biden.

This article has a whirlwind of info of that period and all the claims of "Executive Privilege" -

Meadows, other top Trump aides ordered to testify in Jan. 6 probe as judge rejects claims of executive privilege

ByJohn Santucci, Katherine Faulders, and Jonathan Karl
March 24, 2023, 1:36 PM


A federal judge has rejected former President Donald Trump's claims of executive privilege and has ordered Mark Meadows and other former top aides to testify before a federal grand jury investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the election leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.

Meadows, Trump's former chief of staff, was subpoenaed along with the other former aides by Special counsel Jack Smith for testimony and documents related to the probe. Trump's legal team had challenged the subpoenas by asserting executive privilege, which is the right of a president to keep confidential the communications he has with advisers.

In a sealed order last week, Judge Beryl Howell rejected Trump's claim of executive privilege for Meadows and a number of others, including Trump's former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, his former national security adviser Robert O'Brien, former top aide Stephen Miller, and former deputy chief of staff and social media director Dan Scavino, according to sources familiar with the matter.

(snip)

Previously, Judge Howell had rejected Trump's claim of executive privilege to block the testimony of two top aides to Vice President Pence, Greg Jacob and Marc Short. In rejecting Trump's motion to block the testimony of Jacob and Short, the judge ruled that it is up to the current president to assert executive privilege, not a former president, according to sources familiar with the proceedings.

(snip)

45 (who was out of office at the time) appealed and the appellate court said, um nope. It never really went any further and Meadows ended up testifying.

I believe the caveat may be only a "sitting President" can invoke "Executive Privilege". So a sitting one (at the time, Biden) could invoke it on behalf of a previous President (45 at the time), but in this case, that did NOT happen!

[erronis]

8. Thank you - good information.

[Orrex]

9. Privilege applies to and covers everything

If you’re a Republican.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Coward in chief.

[GB_RN]

4. "Nothing To See Here. Move Along!"

Nothing to hide, eh Caligula? This is not the act of an innocent…um…person*.

*Saying “man” wrt Cantaloupe Caligula the Corpulent is just…wrong.

[bluestarone]

5. Pretty sure if a Democratic president did this, THIS supreme court would

rule against it in a week.

[MustLoveBeagles]

11. Of course they would

[dlk]

7. The burning question is

Whether or not plotting (or assisting with a plot) to overthrow the government was part of his presidential duties…

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

12. The part of personal responsibility