WASHINGTON, Nov 12, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - A US court Thursday granted former
president Donald Trump's request to temporarily halt release of White House
documents that could implicate him in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

  The documents have been sought by the House Select Committee investigating
the riot, and had been ordered released Tuesday by a US district judge.

  The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit said Thursday, however, that it
had granted what it called an administrative injunction and scheduled
arguments for November 30.

  The three-judge panel specified that the move "should not be construed in
any way as a ruling on the merits" of the case.

  On January 6, hundreds of Trump rampaging supporters overran Congress and
delayed a joint session to confirm that Joe Biden had won the November 2020
election and would become president.

  Biden has already approved release of the records, which are held by the
National Archives. The House panel was to receive its first batch on Friday.

  Overall the House has requested more than 770 pages of documents including
records from Trump's top aides and memos to his press secretary.

  Among the records are documents from Trump's former chief of staff Mark
Meadows, his former senior advisor Stephen Miller and his former deputy
counsel Patrick Philbin.

  Trump had also hoped to block the release of the White House Daily Diary --
a record of his activities, trips, briefings and phone calls.

  Another trove of documents Trump does not want Congress to see includes
memos to his former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, a handwritten note on
the January 6 events and a draft text of his speech at the "Save America"
rally. Delivered just prior to the attack, Trump in that address urged
followers to "fight like hell" in defense of his false claim that the
election was stolen from him.

  Earlier this week, the House committee issued subpoenas to top Trump aides
who allegedly plotted to overturn his defeat in a "war room" at a luxury
Washington hotel as well as for some of his most senior lieutenants,
including McEnany and Miller.