Trump request for special-master review of documents recovered by FBI at Mar-a-Lago granted by federal judge
FBI halted from looking at Mar A Lago documents anymore ... 'Special Master' to be appointed.
Published: Sept. 5, 2022 at 12:13 p.m. ET
Associated Press
Trump-appointed judge had previously signaled her inclination to approve a special master, asking a department lawyer during arguments, ‘What is the harm?’
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday granted a request by former President Donald Trump’s legal team to appoint a special master to review documents seized by the FBI during a search of his Florida home last month.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon came despite the objections of the Justice Department, which said an outside legal expert was not necessary in part because officials had already completed their review of potentially privileged documents. The judge had previously signaled her inclination to approve a special master, asking a department lawyer during arguments this month, “What is the harm?”
Background: Trump seeks special master to review seized Mar-a-Lago documents
Plus: Review of possibly privileged Trump papers already complete, feds say
Cannon, though, in sending the Trump legal team’s initial filing back for clarifications, had sought an explanation of why the special-master demand had come to her rather than to the magistrate judge who was already immersed in the matter and had OK’d the FBI search warrant, with critics concluding Trump had gone forum shopping in search of a more receptive judge.
Trump nominated Cannon to her position in 2020.
She reportedly had Wi-Fi service inside the courtroom turned off during Thursday’s critical hearing on the special-master request, effectively barring contemporaneous texting and tweeting of the proceedings.
Both sides were instructed by Cannon to “meaningfully confer” over a list of prospective appointees to the special-master task before Friday, though the Justice Department might choose to appeal Cannon’s order.
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