National Archives transfers contested presidential documents to Jan. 6 committee

The National Archives on Thursday evening released to the Jan. 6 committee hundreds of presidential documents that former President Trump sought to shield from the House panel.

The House panel received more than 700 pages of contested documents, The Associated Press reported.

The move comes after the Supreme Court on Wednesday blocked a bid by Trump to keep the documents out of the hands of the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Because the Court of Appeals concluded that President Trump’s claims would have failed even if he were the incumbent, his status as a former President necessarily made no difference to the court’s decision,” the court wrote.

The Supreme Court agreed with a December ruling by the Washington, D.C., federal appeals court. 

The House select committee applauded the decision.

“The Supreme Court’s action tonight is a victory for the rule of law & American democracy. The Select Committee has already begun to receive records that the former President had hoped to keep hidden & we look forward to additional productions regarding this important information,” the committee tweeted on Wednesday.

The move comes as the Jan. 6 committee continues to investigate the Jan. 6 riot, including recently issuing subpoenas or asking for voluntary interviews from people within Trump’s orbit, like his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his daughter Ivanka Trump. 

The Hill has reached out to the committee for comment.