DC Court of Appeals just gave Trump 'a worrisome sign' about his executive privilege claims: NBC's Pete Williams

An order issued on Tuesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is a "worrisome sign" for former President Donald Trump's efforts to keep White House documents from the January 6th committee, according to NBC News' Pete Williams.

Specifically, Williams writes that Trump should be nervous that the court "notified lawyers for Trump, the House committee and the National Archives that they should be prepared to address whether the court even has the legal authority to hear the dispute."

This is significant, writes Williams, because "courts are typically protective of their jurisdictions" and the Court of Appeals "raised this question on its own, meaning that it was not suggested by the lawyers in the case."

In other words, it seems the court is already telegraphing that it may not have jurisdiction in the case, which would mean that the earlier ruling against Trump would stand.

READ MORE: Trump's attempt to keep January 6 documents away from Congress crashes and burns in court -- again

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan earlier this month ruled that Trump could not assert executive privilege over documents when he was not even the president anymore.

Trump then asked Chutkan to deliver an injunction on her own ruling -- and was promptly smacked down again.

Trump vowed to appeal the case to the D.C. Court of Appeals, and then likely to the United States Supreme Court if he loses there.