Lawyers for former US President Donald Trump have asked a federal court to temporarily block the FBI from reviewing documents recovered from his Florida mansion until a specialist can be appointed to separate material covered by executive privilege.
Federal investigators are looking into whether Trump illegally kept records after the end of his presidential term.
The FBI seized 11 sets of classified material from Trump’s estate earlier this month, including some labeled the highest classification level in the country that can only be viewed at designated government facilities. The National Archives also removed boxes from the mansion earlier this year that should have been turned over to the agency when Trump left office.
Trump has criticized the proceedings, with his legal filing calling the FBI’s Aug. 8, 2022, search a “shockingly aggressive move.”
The US Justice Department responded that a federal judge authorized the search after the FBI showed probable cause that a crime had been committed.
New York Times reported Monday that the government has recovered more than 300 classified documents from Trump’s estate, including material from the CIA, the National Security Agency and the FBI.
Following the August search, Trump’s attorneys asked a federal magistrate to release the FBI affidavit detailing probable cause for conducting the search.
The Justice Department opposed the move, saying it would jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation, and the justice said Monday that while that concern is legitimate, he doesn’t think the document should remain sealed in its entirety.
[Parte de la información para este informe provino de The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse y Reuters]
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