WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal judge in Florida told the Justice Department on Saturday to provide more specific information about classified records removed from former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate, saying it was his “preliminary intent” appoint a special master in the case.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s two-page order indicates she is inclined to grant a request from Trump’s lawyers, who this week sought the appointment of an independent special master to oversee the records review taken from Mar-a-Lago and to identify any that may be protected by executive privilege, and to ensure the return of any documents outside the scope of the search warrant.
The judge scheduled a hearing for Thursday to discuss the matter further, suggesting the Justice Department will have an opportunity to raise objections to the judge’s intentions. In other recent high-profile cases where a special master has been appointed, the person has been a former judge.
Cannon also ordered the Justice Department to file under seal his more detailed descriptions of material taken from Trump’s property “specifying all property seized.” Lawyers for the former president have complained that investigators did not reveal enough information to them about which specific documents were seized when agents executed a search warrant on August 8 for classified documents.
The special appointment of the master, if it occurs, is unlikely to significantly affect the direction of the Justice Department investigation, although it is possible that an outside review of the documents could slow the investigation.
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