Trump is asking the appeals court to uphold the special investigator reviewing 11,000 documents seized by the FBI in Mar-a-Lago as he claims he suffered “irreparable damage” from investigations by “his political rival’s administration.” .
- Donald Trump’s lawyers today called the Justice Department’s investigation into the documents seized in Mar-a-Lago “criminal”.
- Trump’s attorneys argued that an appeals court upheld the decision to allow a special master to review the documents before the DOJ conducts investigations
- The former president’s attorneys said the DOJ was trying to frame him as a criminal simply because he had his own personnel files
- Lawyers said Trump’s reputation in the investigation was at stake because of the personal nature of some of the files seized by the FBI
Lawyers for Donald Trump asked a court to allow the special master to proceed with reviewing the 11,000 documents seized from Mar-a-Lago, arguing he could suffer irreparable harm without the review.
The arguments come as the Justice Department appealed a decision to let US District Judge Raymond Dearie review documents found at Mar-a-Lago.
Attorneys James Trusty and Christopher Kise argued Thursday’s appointment of the special master should be upheld, calling the Justice Department’s investigation “unprecedented” and conducted by “the administration of his political rival.”
The current appeal is the latest in a back-and-forth of appeals that has dogged the investigation into the hundreds of documents — allegedly confidential government records Trump illegally brought to his Florida home — seized by the FBI in August.
Trump’s attorneys have argued that many of the documents seized by the FBI are merely personal documents and that the Justice Department is seeking to “criminalize” Trump for possessing his own “personal records.”
They have also argued that the contents of the personal documents seized in the raid could unnecessarily damage his reputation and have asked for a special prosecutor to be appointed to review the documents and decide which should be removed from the investigation.
Donald Trump’s lawyers today called the Justice Department’s investigation into the documents seized in Mar-a-Lago “criminal”.
A stack of documents marked “Confidential” was found in Mar-a-Lago, according to the Justice Department
US District Judge Raymond Dearie has been appointed special examiner of the documents found at Mar-a-Lago
Trusty and Kise called the investigation into the Mar-a-Lago documents a dispute that has “got out of hand”.
“This investigation of President Trump by his political rival’s administration is both unprecedented and misguided,” Trusty and Kise said, according to USA Today.
“In a documents dispute spiraling out of control, the administration is unfairly seeking to criminalize the 45th President’s possession of his own presidential and personal records.”
Dearie was due to complete his review of documents as a Special Master by December 16, but the process is bogged down in appeals.
The FBI raided Donald Trump’s Florida home, the resort town of Mar-a-Lago, in August
Trump’s attorneys Christopher Kise (left) and James Trusty (right) arrive at a hearing in September
The special master was first appointed in September, with the Justice Department appealing shortly thereafter.
The Justice Department asked that Dearie not be allowed access to government files marked confidential, lest Trump’s attorney see what was in them.
A jury granted this appeal.
In late September, the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Special Master’s review to cease while the Justice Department prepared evidence and arguments for her appeal.
A sketch of US District Judge Raymond Dearie on his first appearance as Special Counsel
The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear Trump’s appeal of the special master’s arrest
Trump’s attorneys then asked the Supreme Court to overturn that decision and argued, but the court overturned them. None of the nine judges issued a public dissent.
Trump’s attorneys have argued that some documents may be protected by attorney-client privilege or executive privilege, but the administration argues that in the case of documents classified as classified, that simply doesn’t make sense.
Federal officials obtained a court-authorized search warrant for Trump’s home in August after suspecting that not all presidential documents in his possession had been returned after his presidency ended.
Investigators were looking for evidence of possible crimes related to the improper retention of national defense information and obstruction of a federal investigation.
Trump has denied wrongdoing and called the investigation politically motivated.
Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on the day of the 2022 midterm elections