In fact, the White House has made an effort to emphasize its continued opposition to Mr Trump’s legal arguments. On December 23, Ms. Remus reiterated her rejection of Mr. Trump’s blanket claim of executive privilege in a letter to David S. Ferriero, the head of the National Archives, writing that “it is not in the best interest of the United States.” .”
Trump filed a federal lawsuit in October to prevent the records from releasing any material to Congress, calling the commission’s attempt to obtain records “nothing short of a nasty, illegal fishing expedition.” A federal appeals court ruled on Dec. 9 that Congress had a right to access data related to the attack, and on Dec. 23, Trump’s attorneys asked the Supreme Court to hear the case.
The news of the deal, reported earlier on Tuesday by The Associated Press, comes less than two weeks before the first anniversary of the attack, and as the committee ramps up its pressure on recalcitrant Trump confidential advisers, former administration officials and, most recently, allies of the former president in Congress.
Just before Christmas, the committee asked Representative Jim Jordan, the Republican from Ohio, to meet with his investigators about his communications regarding the lead-up to the Capitol riot. Those exchanges included Mr. Jordan’s messages with Mr. Trump, the former president’s legal team and others involved in scheduling meetings for Jan. 6 and congressional objections to certifying the election results.
Key figures in the January 6 survey
“We understand that you had at least one and possibly several communications with President Trump on Jan. 6,” Mr. Thompson wrote in a letter. “We want to discuss each of these communications with you in detail.”
Representative Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican and the committee’s vice chair, has endorsed that approach, calling Mr. Jordan a “material witness” to the Jan. 6 events.
Jordan has said he will consider working with the committee depending on its requests, although he has also called the panel a “sham.”