Donald Trump Gets Big Win Over 'Special Master' Request in Mar-a-Lago Raid Investigation

Former President Donald Trump has been granted permission by a federal judge to name a 'special master' to examine documents that the FBI confiscated from Mar-a-Lago last month.

Donald Trump wins big with this judgment, but it complicates the Department of Justice's highly watched inquiry into the White House records that were taken from Trump's Florida home.

Judge Approves Special Master To Examine Trump's Docs

The Justice Department's analysis of the evidence acquired from his beach club will be supervised by the special master, who will also screen out any potentially privileged information that may have been found during the search.

Trump's legal team generally argued that a special master is necessary to ensure the Justice Department returns any of his private documents seized during the search of Mar-a-Lago. It also stops the DOJ from continuing its examination of the materials seized from Mar-a-Lago pending completion of the special master's review or further Court order.

According to the former President's lawyers, his constitutional rights were infringed, and it's possible that protected information was taken. In court documents, however, Donald Trump only made vague references to protected and potentially privileged items without going into more detail about what he hoped a special master would weed out, as per CNN.

Trump's legal team made its first demand in a letter filed in federal court in Florida after another judge opted to publish the heavily redacted affidavit that helped justify the request for the FBI to search the former president's private club.

They also posted an FBI photograph of files labeled Top Secret that had been taken from Trump's office and thrown on a carpet. The court emphasized that her decision should not impede a classification review or intelligence assessment.

This comes after Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines notified two congressional committees that the national security materials discovered at Mar-a-Lago will be reported to them. The court directed Trump's and the government's attorneys to confer and provide a list of potential special master candidates, as well as a timeline for evaluation and remuneration, Daily Mail reported.

DOJ Pauses Investigation

According to Cannon, the director of national intelligence may keep examining the materials to identify potential threats to national security. Donald Trump had demonstrated that the case involved both public and private interests that justified a temporary suspension of the government's use of the records for investigation purposes.

The Justice Department stated that it was examining the judgment. According to department spokesperson Anthony Coley, the United States is reviewing the opinion and will determine appropriate next measures in the continuing dispute.

Cannon requested lawyers for Trump and the Justice Department to jointly provide a list of names of suitable special masters by September 9. Trump claimed that sinister outside sources were pressuring the Justice Department and FBI to make the incorrect decision. She deferred choosing whether to ask for the materials to be returned to Trump.

On August 8, FBI investigators examined Mar-a-Lago to look for potential evidence of crimes like obstruction of justice and espionage. The search came after months of discussions on the return of records to the National Archives and Records Administration or other government organizations between Trump's attorneys and the government.

Federal agents discovered more Trump administration records were still at Mar-a-Lago after Trump returned 15 boxes in January. On June 3, FBI investigators served a subpoena and obtained further classified records. The locations of critical documents discovered at Mar-a-Lago, in storage space, and Trump's office were listed in detail by Cannon on Friday. The list was haphazardly organized and included descriptions of images, apparel, unlabeled government records, and confidential materials.

However, according to government officials, the classified papers contain some of the most sensitive information the agency has about human sources of information and intelligence collecting. Trump, ran the significant reputational risk of the government storing and perhaps exploiting confidential documents, according to USA Today.