WASHINGTON, Oct 19, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - Donald Trump is suing to block the

release of White House records related to the January 6 insurrection that he
was impeached for inciting, according to court documents released Monday.

  The former president is claiming "executive privilege" to stop former aides
giving evidence to Congress, in an escalation of his efforts to stonewall
investigators looking into the deadly Capitol assault.

  The challenge will likely touch off an extended high-stakes showdown in the
courts that will test the constitutional authority of Congress to scrutinize
the executive branch.

  Thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol nine months ago in an
effort to overturn President Joe Biden's election victory.

  They had been egged on by Trump, whose fiery speech earlier that day
falsely claiming election fraud was the culmination of months of baseless
claims about a contest he lost fairly to Biden.

  "The committee's request amounts to nothing less than a vexatious, illegal
fishing expedition openly endorsed by Biden and designed to
unconstitutionally investigate President Trump and his administration," says
the lawsuit filed in Washington's district court.

  Congressional investigators are seeking testimony from officials who could
speak to what Trump, who is considering running for a second term in 2024,
knew about the attack beforehand, and what he did while it was ongoing.

  Since late August, the National Archives has been sending Biden and Trump
voluminous records requested by investigators, giving them 30 days to review
materials.

  The Supreme Court has ruled that presidents can keep certain documents and
discussions confidential to promote more candid discourse with aides, and
Trump is far from the first to take advantage of this carve-out.

  No court has ruled on whether the privilege extends to former presidents,
however. For now, Biden has the final say, and has already permitted a first
batch of documents to be released over Trump's objections.

  The lawsuit calls for a federal judge to declare any request from the
committee to be invalid and to block the National Archives from turning over
any materials.

  Even though defeat seems likely, the lawsuit could delay the releases for
months or years, threatening to push back a report on the attack closer to
the 2022 midterm elections -- inviting accusations of bias from Trumpworld.

  The former president has already demanded that top aides -- from his final
chief of staff Mark Meadows to political strategist Steve Bannon -- defy
subpoenas to appear before the select committee.

  "We will fight the subpoenas on executive privilege and other grounds for
the good of our country," Trump said after the select committee announced the
subpoenas.

  A comfortable majority of 57 senators -- including seven from his own party
-- voted to convict Trump after he was impeached by the House for inciting
the January 6 riot, although this fell short of the two-thirds majority
required under Senate rules to unseat a president.