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A federal appeals court temporarily blocked the National Archives from turning over White House records to the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned two previous rulings by Judge Tanya Chutkan that rejected former President Donald Trump's claim that the records are protected by executive privilege.
The National Archives was facing a Friday (November 12) deadline to hand over dozens of records to the committee, including White House call and visitor logs.
The panel said the temporary injunction would allow Trump time to continue his legal challenges.
"The purpose of this administrative injunction is to protect the court's jurisdiction to address [Trump's] claims of executive privilege and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits," the panel said.
The panel expedited Trump's appeal, scheduling oral arguments for November 30. If Trump loses his bid to shield the records from the committee, he will still have the option to appeal to the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court.