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On Monday, after the events that fore-took on August 8, former President Donald Trump submitted a motion to a Florida court asking for a third party to examine documents that the Justice Department earlier this month had taken from his Mar-a-Lago residence. His attorneys requested an injunction in the move to stop the government from continuing to examine the seized documents until a “special master” was assigned to the case.
Trump also claims that the search violated his constitutional rights and that it’s possible that confidential information was taken. His attorneys asked for a more thorough receipt of everything that was taken from Mar-a-Lago during the search in the brief.
Trump’s motion to the federal court in South Florida may hold down the Justice Department’s ongoing criminal probe, but it may be difficult to get it granted because his team missed numerous chances to object to the search.
His attorneys decided not to argue a point in court right after the search warrant was carried out. Despite the fact that one of his attorneys was present, they did not express an opinion on whether the search warrant affidavit should be made public prior to or during a court hearing last week in West Palm Beach, Florida.
In the filing, Trump requested a more thorough, specific account of what was taken out. Mar-a-Lago. If the motion is granted, two further receipts that the FBI previously gave and that the attorney approved at the conclusion of the search would be added, listing more than 30 things that were confiscated.
The documents that were unsealed by a judge last week reveal that the Department of Justice removed over 10 sets of secret documents from the Trump residence. Some of the materials were designated with SCI/Top Secret, one of, if not the highest degree of classification, according to the catalog from the search.
The Justice Department has previously stated that they are reviewing the items they have seized with an internal filter team in order to isolate material that might be protected by privilege claims. For instance, while returning Trump’s private documents that would not be part of the investigation, such as his diplomatic passport and two expired passports, investigators described the work of a filter team.
In court documents, the Justice Department stated that it was confident the Mar-a-Lago evidence would support its criminal investigation into the improper handling of federal records, including sensitive national defense information after Trump’s team moved boxes of records to Florida after he left office. Potential obstruction of justice in the probe is another area under investigation.
According to the Justice Department, there is a chance that witness or document tampering could occur if new material becomes known to the public or by Trump’s team. Additionally, a Trump lawyer allegedly wrote to investigators stating that no secret documents remained at Mar-a-Lago after June, as reported by CNN and the New York Times. There were further classified papers seized, the FBI reported in an inventory list at the conclusion of its search.
The search was authorized earlier this month after a federal magistrate judge in the Southern District of Florida reviewed the justifications provided by the DOJ. The judge is currently debating whether to provide additional information regarding the probe.
Jim Trusty, Evan Corcoran, and Lindsey Halligan are the three attorneys who have signed the motion. The document said that politics should not have an impact on how justice is administered.
The FBI search turned up several sets of documents marked as classified, and the DOJ has said it is looking into attempts to obstruct justice as part of the investigation. CNN and other media outlets have reported that a lawyer for Trump claimed there was no more classified material at Mar-a-Lago.
Written by Dylan Santoyo
Edited by Sheena Robertson
Sources
FOX NEWS: Trump files motion seeking independent review of docs seized during FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago
AP NEWS: Trump seeks special master to review Mar-a-Lago documents
CNN: Trump’s legal team asks for ‘special master’ to go through Mar-a-Lago evidence and determine if some should be returned
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Matt A.J.’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Matt A.J.’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
