On Thursday (September 1), U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon declined to issue an immediate decision on former President Donald Trump’s request to have a special master appointed to review material seized by the FBI during a raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
Without giving a specific timeline on when to expect a decision, Cannon announced she would issue a ruling at some point.
Her ruling would determine whether or not a third-party legal expert — also known as a special master — would be appointed to review the evidence removed during the raid and temporarily block the DOJ’s investigation into the mishandling of classified documentation by the former President.
On Saturday (August 27), Cannon wrote that she had “preliminary intent” to appoint a special master, then asked on Thursday, “What is the harm?” in the appointment.
Chris Kise, Florida’s former solicitor General who had recently joined Trump’s legal team, noted that appointing a special master would restore faith in the FBI’s investigation.
Kise called the situation “unfortunate” but supported the request for an appointment of a neutral third party saying it was necessary “to lower the temperature,” adding, “We need to take a deep breath.”
But during the court appearance, the DOJ warned against a decision that would result in Trump stalling the investigation.
During courtroom arguments, the head of the counterintelligence division of the Justice Department, Jay Bratt, explained Trump had no reason to claim executive privilege as he was “no longer president.”
During Thursday’s court hearing, the DOJ has revealed that 300 classified documents had been retrieved from Trump’s possession since he left office.
