The President has rejected Trump’s request to shield White House visitor logs, including for Jan. 6
The National Archives provided these documents to the current White House for review in late January, and they include “visitor logs showing appointment information for individuals who were processed to enter the White House complex, including on January 6, 2021.”
Remus explained the administration’s decision by noting that, while Trump decided to block the visitor logs from public view on claims about national security, the Biden administration “voluntarily discloses such visitor logs on a monthly basis,” with some exceptions.
“The Obama administration followed the same practice. The majority of the entries over which the former President has asserted executive privilege would be publicly released under current policy,” Remus wrote.
It remains unclear how detailed the visitor logs were under the Trump administration or what the documents could reveal to the committee.
Remus also notes the committee has agreed to treat such entries associated with appointments designated as national-security sensitive (“NSS”) or otherwise-highly sensitive (“OHS”) “as confidential and to refrain from sharing or discussing such entries outside the Select Committee without prior consultation.”
Previously, Trump tried to keep secret “appointment information showing visitors to the White House,” according to court records in his executive privilege fight that went to the Supreme Court. The House ultimately won access to those records, which made up fewer than 30 pages.
The Supreme Court’s order effectively moots Trump’s pending appeal in the case that centered on keeping the documents secret. Lawyers for Trump say the documents are sensitive and privileged records.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Ariane de Vogue, Katelyn Polantz and Tierney Sneed contributed to this report.
