The former President Donald Trump requested that a “special master”, to oversee and independently review the various material taken from Mar-a-Lago, file a motion Monday.
Trump and his team asked a federal judge to temporarily suspend the Department of Justice (DOJ’s) search of “seized material” while the “special master”, as he is referred, is appointed. Cornell Law describes a “special master” as someone “appointed by a Court to perform some kind of action on it’s behalf”. This court filing marks the first by Trump’s team since Aug. when the FBI executed Mar-a-Lago search warrants. 8.
Trump’s suit alleges that the U.S. government failed to give him any reason to conduct an unprecedented general search at his house. According to documents, Trump also accuses FBI of taking “privileged and/or potentially privileged materials” along with other articles “that were outside the lawful reach of an already overbroad warrant.” Trump claims that the FBI took “privileged, potentially privileged material” and other items “that were beyond the legal reach of an overbroad warrant
The lawsuit states that Trump’s team was not made aware of “the nature” of Mar-a-Lago’s “privileged/or potentially-privileged documents.” Trump’s former president claims that the raid was motivated by politics, a claim that Trump and his staff have made numerous times.
” President Trump is, as all Americans, protected under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The filing states that property taken in violation of Trump’s constitutional rights must be immediately returned. The law enforcement serves as a shield to protect Americans. It can’t be used for political purposes. Therefore, we seek judicial assistance in the aftermath of an unprecedented and unnecessary raid on President Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida.”
FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort is seen in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 8, 2021. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo
“Short of returning the seized items to Movant, only a neutral review by a Special Master can protect the ‘great public interest’ in preserving ‘the confidentiality of conversations that take place in the President’s performance of his official duties’ because such confidentiality is necessary to protect ‘the effectiveness of the executive decision-making process,'” the filing continues.
Monday’s suit comes at a time when Magistrate Bruce Reinhart considers allowing the redacted version to remain sealed. Reinhart, who previously signed off on the search warrant used in the FBI’s raid, told the DOJ on Aug. 18 to propose redactions to the affidavit and be prepared to explain each specific redaction by next Thursday, CNN reported.
Earlier Monday, Reinhart pushed back on the DOJ’s reluctance to release the affidavit, writing that it can only remain sealed if “there is a compelling governmental interest and the denial of access is ‘narrowly tailored to serve that interest. ‘” (RELATED: REPORT: FBI Was After Documents Trump Believed Would ‘Exonerate’ Him From Russia Conspiracy)
Trump issued a statement about the motion soon after it was filed, writing that the search was “illegal and unconstitutional” and describing it as a “Break-In, Search, and Seizure,” according to Fox News. They took my documents, which are protected by executive and attorney privilege. This is against the law. They also took my passports. They even brought a ‘safe cracker’ and successfully broke into my personal safe, which revealed…nothing!”
