Washington 23rd August : The former US Attorneys for President Donald Trump have filed an action in court demanding the appointment of an independent body to examine the documents taken from his Mar-a-Lago estate by FBI agents earlier in the month.In a statement issued on Monday, Trump’s lawyers said they are “presumptively protected” documents since they were written during the time he was president, as reported by the news agency dpa.
As per the team of the former president only a “special master” -an independent person who is appointed by a court to examine documents — can determine whether the information is protected.
They’re also seeking a federal court to stop the government’s examination of the documents taken from Mar-a-Lago until the appointment of a special master and the FBI’s search of Trump’s property is a “shockingly violent decision” against “the obvious lead-seeker in the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary, should he decide to run”.
The FBI conducted a surprise search of the former president’s Palm Beach estate on August 8 as part of an investigation into the handling by Trump of classified information, which included the contents of some of the most delicate documents that the government holds.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Justice Department released the warrant that was the basis for the search, in which it was revealed that the department was conducting an ongoing criminal probe into possible infractions of the Espionage Act, illegal destruction of documents from the government and in the way of obstruction of justice.
The warrant of search and a receipt of the items removed from Trump’s residence indicate that FBI agents gathered eleven sets of classified documents which included one set that contained some of the most sensitive information of the government.secrets.
The Presidential Records Act established that documents created by an administration are as the property of the US and not the President or any other official after they leave office, irrespective of whether the document is classified or not.
Trump’s lawyers, however, claim he had been cooperating with the Department of Justice, and the search was not needed.
The motion confirms reports that Trump’s lawyers met the FBI at Mar-a-Lago and handed over surveillance footage of an office where documents were kept following the Justice Department served the former president with an order to produce documents in May.
The FBI has “filter teams” which oversee searches such as the one that occurred at Mar-a-Lago.
The role of these teams is to ensure that the agents are following the guidelines of the search warrant and then to filter through the entirety of the information discovered in the course of a search so that investigators find information that is relevant to their probe.
Trump’s lawyers, in their filing on Monday in their filing on Monday, claim that they are unable view the strategies of the filter team because they don’t have access to the statement filed in the pursuit of the warrant to search.
But Trump hasn’t requested the court to publish the affidavit.
The South Florida magistrate judge overseeing the case is currently contemplating releasing a redacted copy of the affidavit which provided probable evidence that crimes were committed, which led to the investigation.
The Justice Department must file proposed changes to the affidavit before Thursday.
