Judge Chutkan Dismisses Donald Trump’s January 6 Attempt to Subpoena “Missing” Committee Records

On Monday, Republic leader Donald Trump was dealt yet another legal setback by Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the 2020 election case against the former president. Trump attempted to demand documents about the attack on January 6, 2021, which he said government officials had neglected to preserve. However, the federal judge dismissed his request on Monday, calling it a "fishing expedition." In October, Trump's attorneys requested permission from the court to issue subpoenas for documents from the National Archives and Records Administration, the House Administration Committee, Representative Bennie Thompson, the Democratic leader of the House Jan. 6 panel, and additional sources. Trump's attorneys claim that for court preparation, they would seek access to missing records from the now-dissolved committee.

As per The Hill, committee members, however, assert that no material is lacking, however, Judge Chutkan declared that Trump had not complied with the legal requirements to subpoena the officials. “The broad scope of the records that Defendant seeks, and his vague description of their potential relevance, resemble less ‘a good faith effort to obtain identified evidence’ than they do a general ‘fishing expedition’ that attempts to use the [Rule 17(c) subpoena] as a discovery device,’” she stated.

Additionally, Trump attempted to force cooperation out of House Administration Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), who has claimed not to have received all of the panel's records. Subsequently, the billionaire tycoon also attempted to subpoena the attorneys and national archivist to the Department of Homeland Security and the White House. 

“President Trump is fully entitled to seek the Missing Records by subpoena. It is also equally important to determine if these records have been lost, destroyed, or altered,” Trump’s legal team stated last month. According to Thompson, the committee returned all official documents and work products that were needed, including transcripts of all witness interviews, but not all of the video recordings that were not used in the committee's hearings. “The Select Committee did not archive temporary committee records that were not elevated by the Committee’s actions, such as use in hearings or official publications, or those that did not further its investigative activities. Accordingly, and contrary to your letter’s implication, the Select Committee was not obligated to archive all video recordings of transcribed interviews or depositions,” he wrote in August. 

Additionally, he commended the panel for its "unprecedented transparency," pointing out that a sizable portion of its records were made available to the public before the committee's dissolution. As per The NYPost, the former president was charged in the final report of the select committee, which was made public in December of last year, with participating in a criminal "multi-part conspiracy" to rig the 2020 election results. “The central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, who many others followed,” the report stated. “None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him.”