Trump's Mar-a-Lago documents already examined by FBI, Justice Dept. tells judge

[PSPS]

Source: WP

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago documents already examined by FBI, Justice Dept. tells judge

Devlin Barrett

FBI agents have already finished their examination of possibly privileged documents seized in an Aug. 8 search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, according to a Justice Department court filing Monday that could undercut the former president’s efforts to have a special master appointed to review the files.

The “filter team” used by the Justice Department to sort through the documents and weed out any material that should not be reviewed by criminal investigators has completed its review, the brief filed by Justice Department prosecutors says. The filing came in response to a ruling Saturday by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon to hold a hearing this week on Trump’s motion seeking the appointment of a special master.


Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/08/29/trumpspecial-master-documents/

[Novara]

1. Told ya.

Or rather I repeated what I read on emptywheel.

I mean, they weren't going to let these documents sit around. I'm sure they started reviewing them immediately. It's been almost a month.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

5. Warrant explicitly permitted the fbi to examine documents, according to centuries old precedent.

[Novara]

8. They also had a filter team on site when they served the warrant

They did everything the way it's supposed to be done.

[Obvious85]

2. HA HA!

Eat it Trump

[Alexander Of Assyria]

3. Does not take a legal beagle to figure out waiting two weeks AFTER warrant executed a legal dogshow!

[MLAA]

4. As always TFG is a day late and a few billion dollars short

[calimary]

23. But he LOVES the delay trick.

I suspect he’s desperate to string things out til he runs for President again and “wins”. Cuz then he’d cancel all those pesky investigations the minute he’d arrive back in the Oval Office.

I’m guessing THAT’S the plan.

Let’s all help make it NOT happen!

[MLAA]

27. Deal! We will stop him!

[Bayard]

6. Why do we need someone else?

trump doesn't get to keep ANY of these documents. End of story.

[Journeyman]

13. I'm sure they'll return the magazines & newspapers stuffed in the box with the documents . . .

but can't truly see the need for a "special master" to separate the trash from the indictable.

[forgotmylogin]

25. Trump wanted a toady to grab any incriminating stuff first.

He snoozed, he losed. Or rather his "legal team" snoozed.

Of course the FBI does this by default. They don't want his recipes or his personal letters or his passport; they want their secret files out of Trump's public resort hotel.

Some reports have said there were "magazines and newspapers" mixed into the boxes, likely to make it look like they were personal papers, which is proof of an attempt at a cover up, and 45 likely thought that would give him the excuse to say "Oh, you've confiscated my mint collection of Ketchup Fancier magazines, I'll need that whole box back please..."

It's probably really hard to outsmart the FBI as they know all the tricks.

[Raven]

7. No need for a Master, Judge.

[agingdem]

9. Hey, Judge (reputation down the toilet) Aileen..

looks like Garland just shoved that special master thingy down your Trump-loving throat...choke on it!

[2naSalit]

11. +1

[Fullduplexxx]

22. Liked

Since the button is gone

[iemanja]

10. He waited too long to file the motion

He should have done so immediately upon the search.

[2naSalit]

12. Had to find an attorney first.

Or at least someone to coach the incompetent ones already in his employ.

[OMGWTF]

14. Exhume Ivana's grave. Why did it take ten men to lift the cremated remains of an old woman?

[33taw]

21. It may have been honorary pall bearers.

What do you think they will find?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

15. DOJ says the filter team reviewing the records seized from Mar-a-Lago has completed its review

Link to tweet

[Chainfire]

16. I don't mind Trump having an "independent" special master to review the documents for

privileged information. As long as the independent special master has the proper security clearances to view the secret documents in the trove. We don't need illegally gathered privileged information to convict Trump, we have already seen enough evidence that could put him away for a couple of lifetimes. Evidence doesn't seem to be a problem as much as foot dragging.

Trump will probably demand an ISM that has no connections with the current government. Perhaps a retired KGB agent. You can't get more independent than that...

[calimary]

26. Footdragging is The Plan.

All he’s doing is trying to run out the clock. Delaying unfavorable conclusions is a familiar tactic.

[Chainfire]

28. Yea, you are right. I am guilty of the same kind of thing. I have been needing

a bath for the last week or ten days, but I have been dragging my feet. I have to get to it soon, my dog doesn't want to play with me any more.

[calimary]

31. LOL!

[robbob]

32. Try smearing bacon grease on your body...

Or tie a pork chop around your neck…

[twodogsbarking]

17. Maybe they have, maybe they haven't. Ponder that.

[cstanleytech]

18. I wonder what the judge will try to pull out of her hat this time to protect shrimp hands.

[SheltieLover]

19. AG Garland is playing 4D chess

[BHDem53]

20. So tRump wanted Vlad to review the documents?

[Eyeball_Kid]

24. Cannon really can't appoint a special master without "wasting resources", ordering redundancy.

The special master that she'd have to appoint likely had already examined the filtered the documents. Cannon would have to rely on the DOJ to find the "special master", since so many materials are classified. And that's already been done. If Cannon nonetheless appoints, her bias would be clearly exposed, and she'd be accused of enabling Trump to delay the judicial process. So that won't happen.

[Novara]

29. He's gonna stomp his little feet and pound his tiny hands on the table until he gets his way

Just like all toddlers. And this judge will probably give in or she will face death threats.

It doesn't matter that essentially, the work of a special master is completed. He will have a tantrum until the judge gives in.

[Delmette2.0]

30. trump doesn't listen to his lawyers.

Why would he save anything they wrote? All that legal jargon is so confusing.