President Trump has rejected Joe Biden’s attempt to assert executive privilege over documents sought by Senate investigators, directing the National Archives to provide the materials to Congress.
In a letter Monday to the National Archives and Records Administration, White House counsel David Warrington said the administration “does not uphold the former President’s assertion of privilege” covering records requested in four separate congressional investigations.
The requests involve Senate probes into claims that the Biden administration concealed concerns about Biden’s health and cognitive decline, allegations that federal investigations targeting President Trump and his associates were politically motivated, and questions surrounding the Biden family’s financial dealings and potential conflicts of interest. The letter references email accounts and his involvement in Ukraine policy as vice president while his son, Hunter Biden, held a lucrative board position at a Ukrainian energy company.
The dispute began after the archives informed the White House on Dec. 10 that Joe Biden had asserted executive privilege over the materials. Warrington wrote that the claim “is not justified,” adding that executive privilege should not be used to block congressional oversight or shield records tied to Biden’s “efforts to imprison his opponent,” or business activities involving Biden’s family.
Warrington said the use of the autopen during the Biden presidency, along with efforts to conceal Biden’s declining faculties from the public, must be fully examined to ensure similar circumstances do not occur again.
