United States District Judge Beryl Howell has granted Donald Trump-appointed attorney Jeanine Pirro four additional days to release the drug-trafficking records of Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The deadline for compliance is now set for August 21, 2026.
Case Background and Court Order
Von Batten-Montague-York, an all-Republican partner policy advisory and lobbying firm based in Washington, D.C., disclosed the development in a post on X. According to the post, Judge Howell noted that the case had been pending for more than three years.
Pirro had reportedly requested an additional 10 days to comply with the order concerning records held by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). However, Judge Howell granted only four additional days, setting August 21, 2026, as the deadline for compliance.
Firm's Response and Renewed Motivation
Von Batten-Montague-York said the development is a renewed effort by Pirro and the Department of Justice to release the records, insisting that the documents should now be made public. The firm’s statement on X reads: “We deeply appreciate US Attorney Pirro and the DOJ’s renewed motivation to release these documents, and we agree with Judge Howell. This case has been pending for three years. The time to release the Tinubu drug-trafficking files is now.”
US-Nigeria Relations and Implications
According to Von Batten-Montague-York, US’s strategic interests with Nigeria should not prevent the release of the records. The statement concluded: “As President Trump has indicated, our shared interests with Nigeria do not mean supporting an alleged drug trafficker.”
The ruling underscores the judicial pressure on Pirro to comply with the order, with the firm emphasizing that the documents should be made public without further delay.
