Trump's plan to escape accountability for Capitol riot just hit a major snag: NYT reporter

Former President Donald Trump's strategy for avoiding accountability for the January 6th Capitol riots has been to run out the clock and delay handing over evidence until after the 2022 midterm elections.

However, New York Times reporter Charlie Savage writes that this plan hit a major snag this week when Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a ruling less than a month after Trump's lawyers filed a lawsuit attempting to block the National Archives from giving documents to the House Select Committee investigating the riots.

"If the rapid pace set by Judge Chutkan continues, it would mark a significant change from how lawsuits over congressional subpoenas went during the Trump era," writes Savage.

The next step will likely be at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which currently has seven judges appointed by Democratic presidents and four by Republican presidents.

After that, Trump will likely try to take the case to the United States Supreme Court.

Savage also writes that congressional Democrats are mulling plans to speed up the process of getting key documents from Trump.

"House Democrats have introduced legislation in response to the Trump presidency that would, among many other things, speed up lawsuits to enforce congressional subpoenas for executive branch information," he writes. "Two people familiar with the matter said House Democratic leaders have indicated they plan to hold a floor vote on that bill before the end of 2021, though no date has been set; its prospects in the Senate are unclear."