Trump Asserts Executive Privilege to Thwart Jan. 6 Lawsuit

President Donald Trump has asserted executive privilege to prevent courtroom adversaries from accessing evidence in a long-running lawsuit that accuses him of stoking violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney reported for Politico.

Trump pardoned and ended the criminal cases of more than 1,500 people charged for their role in Jan. 6. (Photo: Gage Skidmore Flickr)

The Justice Department disclosed Trump’s secrecy claim Wednesday in a hearing related to the five-year-old lawsuit, brought by police officers injured while attempting to repel the violent mob that day.

The officers say Trump’s incendiary remarks to a crowd of supporters — and his direction that they march on the Capitol — fueled the riot that nearly derailed the transfer of power from Trump to Joe Biden and left 140 officers injured.

Trump’s decision to assert privilege adds to a concerted push to rewrite the story of his bid to subvert the 2020 election.

Trump pardoned and ended the criminal cases of more than 1,500 people charged for their role in Jan. 6, and last month he issued a sweeping pardon for prominent allies who faced legal scrutiny for their part in the effort.

In recent months, Trump has routinely promoted false and inflammatory claims that the FBI intentionally ignited the mayhem at the Capitol.

It remains unclear precisely which records Trump is attempting to keep out of the hands of the plaintiffs in the Jan. 6 lawsuit.