Trump aims to block FBI from reviewing seized items
STORY: Former President Donald Trump on Monday asked a federal court to temporarily block the FBI from reviewing the materials it seized on August 8 from his Florida home, until a special master can be appointed to oversee the review.
Trump's court motion was filed in a federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida. It demanded that the U.S. Justice Department provide him with a more detailed property receipt outlining the items the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago home during its Aug. 8 search, and asked investigators to return any items outside the scope of the search warrant.
The filing says, "Politics cannot be allowed to impact the administration of justice. Law enforcement is a shield that protects Americans. It cannot be used as a weapon for political purposes."
His request was assigned to U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, whom Trump appointed to the bench.
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, the judge who approved the warrant, is weighing whether to require the Justice Department to release a redacted copy of the affidavit laying out the evidence for why there was probable cause to search Trump's home.
The Justice Department at a court hearing last week opposed its release, saying it would provide people with a "roadmap" of its investigation and possibly chill witness cooperation.
The Justice Department has until noon on Thursday to provide the judge a redacted copy of the document that he could potentially release to the public.
The search, which was approved by Reinhart on Aug. 5, is part of a federal investigation into whether Trump illegally removed documents when he left office in January 2021.
During its search, the FBI seized 11 sets of classified materials, some of which were labeled "top secret" - the highest level of classification.
