Documents seized from Trump: Independent expert named
Judge Raymond Deary has been assigned to review thousands of documents seized from Donald Trump’s home in early August.
On Aug. 8, the FBI raided Donald Trump’s Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, and seized boxes of classified documents that the Republican never returned after leaving the White House, despite multiple requests.
Getty Images via AFP
An independent expert, a federal magistrate, is now responsible for reviewing thousands of documents seized from Donald Trump’s home in early August, a judge ruled Thursday, upholding a decision to limit investigators’ access.
The Republican billionaire asked the court to appoint an independent third party to review documents seized during the Aug. 8 search, an unprecedented move for a former president. Federal investigators behind the police operation suspect Donald Trump of keeping top-secret documents at his home.
On Monday, the US Justice Department said it had accepted one of the names proposed by Donald Trump’s lawyers, and Florida Judge Eileen Cannon confirmed the name of the independent expert on Thursday evening. This is Raymond Deary, 78, a partially retired New York federal judge.
He is now responsible for deciding whether some of the seized documents can be returned to Donald Trump or classified as “secret” — so they can’t be used in investigations against him.
The request was rejected
Donald Trump’s own appointee in 2020, Eileen Cannon, also confirmed on Thursday an earlier decision that had been challenged by the Justice Department. Last week, he blocked the use of all documents seized during the raids until an independent expert had pronounced them. The ministry asked for access to at least a hundred of them, some classified. The judge rejected the request on Thursday.
On Aug. 8, the FBI raided Donald Trump’s Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, and seized boxes of classified documents that the Republican never returned after leaving the White House, despite multiple requests. Federal investigators suspect the Republicans violated the US Espionage Act, which strictly restricts the possession of classified documents. Donald Trump has assured that these documents are classified.
Donald Trump, who plans to run for president in 2024, has hit out against a search he deems “illegal and unconstitutional” and reiterates that he was targeted for political reasons.
AFP
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