Donald Trump asks the court for a “special teacher” to review the Mar-A-Lago documents

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump call on federal court to appoint “special teacher” to “maintain the sanctity of executive communications and other privileged material” seized by the FBI during a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month. .

The note – read here – appears to be a way of repeating Trump’s complaints, arguing that the August 8 search was unwarranted because he claims he collaborated with the National Archives and then with the Justice Department as they searched for the documents he had brought. with him. the presidency has ended.

It is unknown how the court will view Trump’s request. Only a president in office can assert executive privilege, not a past president afterwards.

Trump also wants the court to stop the government from further reviewing the materials until a special master is appointed and the government provides a more detailed description of what was stolen from the property. The document also requires the court to request the government to return seized items that did not fall within the scope of the search warrant.

Parts of the warrant were opened after the search, revealing that federal agents seized 11 sets of confidential documents from Mar-a-Lago, as well as other material. Trump’s statement did not explain why he was in possession of the documents, which also included a set marked as classified. The New York Times reported Monday that the government has seized more than 300 confidential documents.

The order, signed by Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, called for the seizure of “all physical documents and records that constitute evidence, contraband, proceeds of crime or other illegally owned items pursuant to 18 USC §§ 793, 2071 or 1519 “. This applies to provisions prohibiting concealment, kidnapping or mutilation; collection, transfer or loss of defensive information; and destroy, alter or falsify documents in federal investigations.

Trump claims he classified the material when it was shipped to Mar-a-Lago, but no written records suggest he or his team did.

However, in his filing, his lawyers said Trump has long been treated “unfairly” by the FBI and the Justice Department.

The lawyers wrote that: “In light of the FBI’s recent behavior, with President Trump as part of its target, this court should feel compelled to demand frankness and transparency, not just” our trust “of the Justice Department.” .

After the search, Trump claimed, without evidence, that some of the material may have been planted by agents and that his supporters, including members of the House of Representatives, called for attacks on the FBI and the Justice Department. The FBI has seen an increase in threats since the beginning of this month, with Attorney General Merrick Garland saying two days after the search: “I will not be silent when your integrity is unfairly attacked.”

In a statement, Trump’s lawyers wrote that on August 11, one of the former president’s advisors spoke to Jay Bratt, head of the Department of Justice’s counterintelligence and export control division. According to the filing, the lawyer, who was not identified, relayed a message from Trump to Garland: “President Trump wants the Attorney General to know that he is listening to people across the country about the raid. If there is a word. to describe his state of mind, he’s “angry.” The heat builds up. The pressure is building. Anything you can do to reduce the heat, to reduce the pressure, let us know.

The filing acknowledged that the Justice Department sued Trump to obtain the documents and, subsequently, security camera footage from the repository where the documents were stored.

Rinehart is currently trying to determine whether to reject parts of the affidavit filed by the Department of Justice to justify the raid.