Trump sues committee investigating Capitol riot in attempt to block presidential documents

Comes as the committee plans to vote to hold Bannon in contempt.

(AP)

Former president Donald Trump sued the House select committee investigating the insurrection on 6 January that he incited in an attempt to keep documents from being released.

The lawsuit comes as the committee plans to vote to hold former Trump adviser Steve Bannon in contempt for not testifying after Mr Trump told him not to do so. The Committee also subpoenaed former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, as well as his social media aide Dan Scavino.

Mr Trump said in a statement that the investigation was meant to silence “America First patriots” and called the investigation illegitimate.

“The January 6th Committee is a partisan sham to distract Americans from the Democrats’ policies that are killing and robbing Americans,” Taylor Budowich, Mr Trump’s communications director, said in a statement.

The lawsuit also faults President Joe Biden for failing to assert executive privilege for documents requested by the committee.

The legal team’s argument asserts that the committee’s request has no legislative purpose, former presidents have inherent constitutional rights of privilege and that the National Archives and Records Administration has not had time to organize the documented requested.

“The Committee isn’t seeking the truth, it’s seeking Communist-style political persecution of President Trump and the America First patriots who served their country honorably,” Mr Budowich said in the statement.