Trump sues US govt in bid to block DOJ from reviewing materials FBI seized at Mar-a-Lago

Former United States President Donald Trump on Monday filed a lawsuit against the US government over the unannounced FBI search of his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. Days after around 30 FBI agents searched Trump’s Florida mansion for over nine hours and found “secret” documents, the former US President has now moved to seek legal action to temporarily stop the bureau from reading the seized materials until a special court official can be appointed to review the said documents. 

Citing Trump’s lead attorney, Jim Trusty and two other sources, The Guardian reported that the suit filed by the former US President “argues that the court should appoint a special master – usually a retired lawyer or judge – because the FBI potentially seized privileged materials in its search and the Department of Justice (DoJ) should not itself decide what it can use in its investigation”.

The suit is filed in a US district court for the southern district of Florida and it “requires the government to provide a more detailed receipt for property; and … requires the government to return any item seized that was not within the scope of the search warrant” as per the report. 

FBI raided Trump’s Florida residence on August 8 as US Justice Department (DOJ) moved to look for official records and materials from the former US President’s tenure at the White House that both the DOJ and National Archives believe were improperly taken by him to his private residence last year. Several media reports have also stated that the Mar-a-Lago search was carried out under the Espionage Act and some of the documents found at his home concerning nuclear weapons. 

Biden administration lambasted over FBI raid at Trump’s home

Trump had categorically refused to admit UIS President Joe Biden’s electoral win and floated baseless claims of election fraud which ultimately stirred the deadly US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the building. However, despite a tumultuous year out of the White House filled with investigations into his actions around the US Capitol attack last year, Trump’s stronghold on the Republican party has not wavered.

Trump moved to seize the FBI raid of his Florida estate to claim mistreatment by US President Joe Biden’s administration. In response to the raid, Trump filed a lawsuit on Monday terming the search “a shockingly aggressive move” with “no understanding of the distress that it would cause most Americans”, as per reports. The suit also laid out a partial view of how the search took place and alleged several unfair actions by FBI agents. 

Image: AP