A federal judge has just handed President Donald Trump a huge win by blocking Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) from reviewing documents seized at Mar-a-Lago until after a special master has been appointed.
Judge Allen Cannon, a Trump appointee, has granted a request from Trump’s legal team to appoint a special master to review documents seized from the 45th president’s Florida home by the FBI.
The ruling will halt all reviews of the documents seized by the DOJ in its political investigation of Trump for alleged mishandling of classified documents and obstruction.
Full order here: https://t.co/GEYr4dOGmY
— Chris “Subscribe to Law Dork!” Geidner (@chrisgeidner) September 5, 2022
BREAKING: Judge Aileen Cannon grants Trump’s request and orders the appointment of a special master to review questions over the materials seized at Mar-a-Lago. She also halts use of the materials for “criminal investigative purposes” pending the special master’s review. pic.twitter.com/VvDzIAzCSF
— Chris “Subscribe to Law Dork!” Geidner (@chrisgeidner) September 5, 2022
FLASH: Judge Aileen Cannon rules in favor of Trump’s motion for “special master” to review items seized from Mar-a-lago
And orders Justice Dept to cease review of materials “pending resolution of the special master’s review process”, though nat’l security assessment can continue pic.twitter.com/CHGf0qiw1G
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) September 5, 2022
According to CNN, the ruling “orders a third-party attorney, from outside the government, be brought in to review the materials that were taken from Trump’s home and resort in Florida.
“It also halts the Justice Department from continuing its review of the materials seized from Mar-a-Lago ‘pending completion of the special master’s review or further Court order.’
“Trump’s lawyers argued that a special master was needed because they don’t trust the Justice Department to fairly identify privileged materials that would need to be excluded from the ongoing criminal probe,” CNN said.
