(PartiallyPolitics.com) – Former President Trump’s legal team is asking a judge to green-light subpoenas for documents from the House committee that looked into the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. They’re doubling down on a contested assertion that not all the evidence gathered by the committee was shared.
In the legal documents, Trump’s side is calling for subpoenas not just for the ex-head of the committee but also for six other bigwigs. They’re echoing concerns from Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a Republican from Georgia, who’s been vocal about not getting all the records from the committee’s investigation.
However, Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi who was in charge of the nine-person committee, called these claims bogus back in August. He insisted they handed over everything they were supposed to, including interview transcripts, but not necessarily all video recordings that didn’t make the cut for their official hearings.
The legal request doesn’t stop there. It includes Loudermilk, his committee, the House clerk, the national records keeper, and legal advisors to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). But here’s the catch: Thompson and Loudermilk might dodge these subpoenas thanks to certain legal shields they have under the Constitution.
The whole argument from Trump’s lawyers seems to hinge on Loudermilk’s grievances.
They’re pointing to a letter Loudermilk sent Thompson and a news report that followed, complaining about a messy pile of evidence. Out of 4 terabytes of data the committee gathered, only 2.5 terabytes were on their digital platform, with the rest on external drives.
Thompson clapped back, saying they weren’t required to keep every single thing, especially videos from interviews.
He stressed in a letter back in August, “The committee didn’t need to keep records that weren’t used in official ways, like in hearings, or that didn’t help with the investigation.” He also bragged about the committee’s super open approach, highlighting that a ton of records went public before the committee wrapped up.
But Trump’s recent legal action is stirring up a Capitol Hill drama that’s been off the radar since last summer. It’s throwing shade at the committee for supposedly sneakily giving sensitive stuff to the White House and DHS, claiming it wasn’t just a simple “loan.”
The lawyers argue, “Trump has every right to chase down these MIA records through subpoenas. It’s also crucial to figure out if these files got lost, trashed, or tampered with.”
As of Wednesday, Thompson’s crew kept mum, and the House Administration Committee didn’t hop on a response right away.
Even if the judge gives the thumbs up, this could spark more legal showdowns if the subpoenaed folks decide to fight back.
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