Donald Trump wants the judge to allow an additional investigation into the FBI’s search of his home in early August. A federal judge is considering this. For its part, the US Department of Justice said it had evidence that the former president’s team tried to conceal documents he brought from the White House to his residence in Florida.
Trump has asked the judge the so-called special master to assign. This is the type of independent arbitrator that operates in US law when a court finds that government agencies are violating civil rights.
If the court agrees, it will delay the case against him. The judge asked justice Thursday during a hearing in West Palm Beach what his objections to Trump’s request.
The FBI has seized classified government documents from the Trump Mar-a-Lago estate that the former president took from the White House. It is illegal by law to take these documents from the White House because they contain highly classified information.
Trump may have violated the Espionage Act
The administration skewed a statement to the judge that it had evidence that Trump concealed and removed government documents during a visit to the FBI in early June. “This is likely to be an attempt to obstruct the government’s investigation,” the ministry said.
The FBI searched Trump’s Florida property on August 8. A previously released search warrant and a list of seized items revealed that some of the items found at Trump’s home had a “top secret” status. According to protocols, this had to be stored in government facilities. This may have violated the Espionage Act.