Biden orders release of Trump White House logs to House committee investigating January 6 riot
- The records are visitor logs with appointment information for individuals who were allowed to enter the White House on the day of the insurrection
- In releasing the records, Biden is once more rejecting former US President Donald Trump’s claims of executive privilege
The committee has sought a trove of data from the National Archives, including presidential records that Trump had fought to keep private. The records being released to Congress are visitor logs showing appointment information for individuals who were allowed to enter the White House on the the day of the insurrection.
In a letter sent on Monday to the National Archives, White House counsel Dana Remus said Biden had considered Trump’s claim that because he was president at the time of the attack on the US Capitol, the records should remain private, but decided that it was “not in the best interest of the United States” to do so.
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US House impeaches Trump for inciting deadly Capitol attack
The committee is focused on Trump’s actions from January 6, when he waited hours to tell his supporters to stop the violence and leave the Capitol. Investigators are also interested in the organisation and financing of a Washington rally the morning of the riot, when Trump told supporters to “fight like hell.” Among the unanswered questions is how close organisers of the rally coordinated with White House officials.
A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision.