A federal judge may do as Trump requested and appoint a special master to oversee documents the FBI took from Mar-a-lago. Judge Aileen Cannon sided with the former President based on “the exceptional circumstances presented.” The hearing will take place September 1 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The judge ordered the Justice Department to file a response by August 30 and provide a detailed receipt of items.
The judge wants more
The Justice Department needs to provide a “more detailed Receipt for Property specifying all property seized pursuant to the search warrant executed on August 8, 2022.” The receipt currently available shows the FBI took 20 boxes of items, including a set of documents labeled “Various classified/TS/SCI documents.” This refers to top secret information.
If the information on these documents were liberated it could damage relations between the US and other countries and endanger intelligence operatives. This information is also related to the daily operations of the President.
The judge spoke with Trump’s lawyers
CNN had previously reported,
“District Court Judge Aileen Cannon in the Southern District of Florida ordered Trump’s lawyers to elaborate on their arguments for why the court has the ability to step in at this time, explain what exactly Trump is asking for and whether the Justice Department has been served with Trump’s special master motion. Cannon also asked Trump’s team to weigh in on any effect the request might have on a separate review conducted by a magistrate judge into whether any portions of the still-sealed FBI affidavit laying out probable cause for the search can be released.”
Bloomberg News affirmed,
“The request for a so-called special master to review the documents could be filed as soon as Monday in Florida, the person said, requesting anonymity because the matter isn’t public. Trump also plans to ask for a court order requiring the Department of Justice to provide more details about the property that was seized and to return materials that weren’t covered by the warrant, the person said.”
The judge who approved the warrant
Admitted the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-lago was “unprecedented.” Some of the records taken from Trump’s residence were attorney-client privilege.
The Trump passports have been returned. The FBI isn’t talking about what items were attorney-client privilege. Bruce Reinhart, the judge who approved the warrant, didn’t think the affidavit should be sealed. He called it, “intense public and historical interest.” He wrote,
“The Government argues that even requiring it to redact portions of the Affidavit that could not reveal agent identities or investigative sources and methods imposes an undue burden on its resources and sets a precedent that could be disruptive and burdensome in future cases. I do not need to reach the question of whether, in some other case, these concerns could justify denying public access; they very well might. Particularly given the intense public and historical interest in an unprecedented search of a former President’s residence, the Government has not yet shown that these administrative concerns are sufficient to justify sealing. Accordingly, it is hereby ORDERED that by the deadline, the Government shall file under seal a submission addressing possible redactions and providing any additional evidence or legal argument that the Government believes relevant to the pending Motions to Unseal.”
