by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News September 5, 2022
A federal judge on Monday ordered that a special master be appointed to review records seized by the FBI in the Aug. 8 raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
U.S. District Judge from the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen M. Cannon said the special master, which Trump had requested, will “review the seized property, manage assertions of privilege and make recommendations thereon, and evaluate claims for return of property.”
“The Court hereby authorizes the appointment of a special master to review the seized property for personal items and documents and potentially privileged material subject to claims of attorney-client and/or executive privilege,” the judge’s order states.
Cannon’s order also temporarily halts the Department of Justice’s “taint” or “filter” team’s review of the seized documents.
“Furthermore, in natural conjunction with that appointment, and consistent with the value and sequence of special master procedures, the Court also temporarily enjoins the Government from reviewing and using the seized materials for investigative purposes pending completion of the special master’s review or further Court order.”
Trump’s legal team last month asked Cannon to appoint a special master following the unprecedented raid on the former president’s Florida property. Trump’s legal team argued that the DOJ’s “Privilege Review Team” should not be the final arbiter of whether the DOJ’s actions were proper in such a high-profile case and that the review team’s scope was too narrow.
“We need to take a deep breath. These are presidential records in the hands of the 45th president at a place which was used frequently for work during his presidency,” Trump attorney Christopher Kise said in a hearing on Thursday.
Action . . . . Intelligence . . . . Publish