The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday appealed a federal judge’s decision to grant former President Donald Trump’s request to appoint a special master to review the documents seized by FBI agents from his Mar-a-Lago estate last month.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon granted Trump’s request on Monday after weighing concerns raised by both Trump and DOJ attorneys. Judge Cannon said the court was “mindful of the need to ensure at least the appearance of fairness and integrity under the extraordinary circumstances presented” in the order appointing a special master.
Judge Cannon also included an order that “temporarily enjoins the government from reviewing and using the seized materials for investigative purposes.”
In the appeal, DOJ attorneys doubled down on their argument that the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago were not Trump’s “personal records,” giving him no right to possess them.
Government lawyers also requested a partial stay of Judge Cannon’s order while the appeal is pending. “Moreover, the government and the public are irreparably injured when a criminal investigation of matters involving risks to national security is enjoined,” DOJ attorneys argued.
After filing the notice of appeal, the DOJ asks the federal judge to stay of her:
* injunction stopping them to using records seized from Mar-a-Lago for their probe.
* order to turn classified files to a special master.
Doc: https://t.co/68Hj0ve7Oh pic.twitter.com/oZDBE4wTqr
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) September 8, 2022
Trump criticized the DOJ for using taxpayer funds to appeal Judge Cannon’s order in a post on Truth Social shortly after the DOJ filed its appeal.
So now the FBI & Biden Department of “Justice” leakers are going to spend Millions of Dollars, & vast amounts of Time & Energy, to appeal the Order on the “Raid of Mar-a-Lago Document Hoax,” by a brilliant and courageous Judge whose words of wisdom rang true throughout our Nation, instead of fighting the record setting corruption and crime that is taking place right before their very eyes. They SPIED on my Campaign, lied to FISA COURT, told Facebook “quiet,” preside over worst CRIME WAVE ever!!
MEANWHILE: Over on Truth Social, Trump rails against the DOJ appeal, praising Cannon as “a brilliant and courageous Judge whose words of wisdom rang true throughout our Nation.” https://t.co/AzNm4Y3Yu9 pic.twitter.com/2J4yc0fzyH
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) September 8, 2022
Trump also accused the government of planting “fake evidence.”
“They leak, lie, plant fake evidence, allow the spying on my campaign, deceive the FISA Court, RAID and Break-Into my home, lose documents, and then they ask me, as the 45th President of the United States, to trust them,” Trump added. “Look at the I.G. Reports on Comey, McCabe, and others. Things are safer in the middle of Central Park!”
Pursuant to Judge Cannon’s order, Trump’s legal team must submit a list of proposed special master candidates along with an outline of their “duties and limitations” by Friday.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.
