The D.C. federal judge overseeing ex-President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the House Jan. 6 select committee quickly rejected Trump’s latest attempt to block the National Archives from handing over White House records to the committee.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan for the District of Columbia shot down an emergency request filed by Jesse Binnall, Trump’s attorney, late Monday night asking that the judge preemptively put an “administrative stay” on her ruling in the case – even though she hasn’t issued it yet.
Binnall argued that a stay would give Trump time to appeal her decision (which, again, she hasn’t issued yet) given that the National Archives is expected to release the documents by Friday. Otherwise the documents will be released “before President Trump has had the opportunity to be fully and fairly heard,” Binnall claimed.
The lawyer also threatened to take the case to the appeals court if Chutkan didn’t issue her ruling on the lawsuit by Wednesday.
Chutkan dismissed the request as “premature” shortly after midnight, adding that she “intends to rule expeditiously” in Trump’s suit.
The entire exchange took place within two hours, according to Politico.
Last Thursday, Chutkan heard the arguments in the court battle between Trump and the House over the records. The ex-president is attempting to throw out the Jan. 6 panel’s subpoenas for White House documents related to Trump’s activities before, during and after the Capitol insurrection.
At the end of that hearing, the judge promised to issue her ruling “expeditiously.”
Read Binnall’s emergency request below:
