The Republican National Committee has won a victory in a federal legal battle with the Democrat-run House Select Committee on Jan. 6.
According to The Hill, a federal appeals court has temporarily barred the panel from obtaining RNC documents pertaining to its fundraising efforts in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, 2021.
A three-judge panel for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the RNC a temporary administrative injunction prohibiting third-party vendor Salesforce from turning over the party’s fundraising records to the select committee. The injunction will remain in effect until the judges decide the RNC’s emergency motion for a more lasting injunction, the panel said in a brief order.
“The purpose of this administrative injunction is to give the court sufficient opportunity to consider the emergency motion for an injunction pending appeal and should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits of that motion,” the panel .
All three of the judges were appointed by President Donald Trump.
Salesforce was prepared to turn over the records on Wednesday when the lower court’s ruling expired.
The RNC is appealing a federal judge’s decision from earlier this month ordering the vendor to comply with a subpoena. The national committee asked the D.C. Circuit panel to prevent the subpoena from being enforced while arguing its case on appeal.
“Without an injunction, the RNC will have no opportunity to obtain relief on appeal, as Salesforce has indicated it will respond to the Subpoena and the Congressional Defendants claim the Court is without authority to award relief once Salesforce produces,” the RNC’s lawyers wrote in a court filing earlier this month.
But the committee argued through its legal team that members have an urgent need for the records as it prepares to launch public hearings as early as next month.
“An injunction pending appeal would deprive the Select Committee of key information relevant to its investigation, its public hearings, and its consideration of legislation,” the select committee said in its own filing. “Further delay in obtaining the materials sought by the subpoena could obscure key facts and affect Congress’ efforts to prevent January 6th from recurring in our rapidly approaching next election cycle, or in the future.”
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