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Appeals court agrees to delay National Archives release of Trump records

By Clyde Hughes & Daniel Uria   |   Updated Nov. 11, 2021 at 5:42 PM
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Wellington, Ohio, on June 26. His attorney have asked an appeals court to temporarily delay the National Archives to turn over records to a House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI Former President Donald Trump has claimed executive privilege over the record held at the National Archives. UPI The House January 6 committee is expecting to receive the first batch of some 700 documents from the National Archives related to Trump on Friday. File Photo by Tasos Katopodis/UPI A federal judge has ruled Wednesday that Trump was unlikely to win on the merits of his case the shield the Jan. 6 records and denied a stay. File Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI Lawyers for former President Donald Trump have argued that the issues raised in their appeal need time to be considered beyond Friday's current deadline for the document release. File Photo by Oliver Contreras/UPI

Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A federal appeals court on Thursday granted former President Donald Trump's request to temporarily block the National Archives from giving his White House records to a House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

A three-judge panel granted Trump an administrative injunction and set arguments for the case for Nov. 30.

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"The purpose of this administrative injunction is to protect the court's jurisdiction to address appellant's claims of executive privilege and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits," the panel wrote.

Trump, who has repeatedly lost in court trying to keep the records secret by claiming executive privilege, asked the court to "maintain the status quo" until their expedited appeal can be heard.

The National Archives was expected to start turning over the documents Friday, releasing them over the next several weeks.

In the documents, committee members expect to receive call logs, visitor logs, drafts of speeches, memos and even handwritten notes from White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and others. Trump's attorneys have said additional time is needed to properly go over the issues in question.

"In this appeal, the court will consider novel and important constitutional issues of first impression concerning the separation of powers, presidential records, and executive privilege," Trump's attorneys said Thursday, according to CNN.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected Trump's executive privilege argument.

In her decision, Chutkan said Trump was unlikely to succeed on the merits of his claims and would not suffer irreparable harm while "a balance of the equities and public interest" bears against granting his request.