Donald Trump sues House panel investigating January 6 Capitol attack

US: Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Monday against the US congressional committee investigating the deadly January 6 attack on the Capitol, alleging it made an illegal, unfounded and overbroad request for his White House records.

Also on Monday, Trump was questioned in a deposition for a lawsuit brought by protesters who say his security team roughed them up in the early days of his presidential campaign in 2015.

In the lawsuit filed in US District Court for the District of Columbia, Trump asserted that materials sought by the January 6 Select Committee are covered by a legal doctrine known as executive privilege, which protects the confidentiality of some communications between White House officials. A mob of Trump supporters stormed the seat of Congress on January 6 in a failed bid to prevent lawmakers from certifying President Joe Biden’s election victory. More than 600 people now face criminal charges stemming from the event.

Earlier this month, Biden authorised the National Archives, a Government agency that holds records from Trump’s time in office, to turn over an initial batch of documents requested by the Select Committee.

In addition to Trump White House records, the January 6 Select Committee has issued subpoenas demanding testimony from Trump advisers, including political strategist Steve Bannon.

– THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD