A federal judge is now considering unsealing court documents that include details about former President Donald Trump's alleged efforts to prevent a number of his former aides from testifying before a grand jury.
The aides' testimonies were part of the investigation into the former president's attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
On Wednesday, October 26, Chief Judge Beryl Howell, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asked the U.S Department of Justice (DOJ) to offer insight on two media organizations' request for documents to be unsealed.
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Politico made its request on Oct. 18 and days later, the New York Times also submitted a request. The judge's DOJ request comes after several weeks of Trump working behind the scenes to prevent aides from speaking.
On Thursday, October 20, Marc Short, who served as Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, appeared to testify before a grand jury hours after a federal appeals court panel delivered a blow to Trump's legal team over claims of executive privilege.
Per the news outlet: "The appeals court panel’s ruling was the result of a four-month fight that was initiated on June 10 over testimony related to grand jury subpoenas pertaining to the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. That fight began around the same time Short first appeared before federal investigators"
"But it accelerated rapidly on Sept. 28, when Howell ruled against Trump. The nature of the ruling remains sealed but it pertained to two grand jury subpoenas that Trump had challenged."
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The investigation into Trump's alleged attempts to overturn the presidential election is ongoing.
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