DOJ Responds to Trump, Insists on Keeping ‘Over 100’ Mar-a-Lago Documents

Lawyers for the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday filed a new motion that again seeks a stay in a judge’s order appointing a special master to review documents that were seized during last month’s FBI raid targeting former President Donald Trump’s residence.

In the latest filing, DOJ prosecutors said that they want a “limited” yet “critical” stay of the order so as to continue their review of certain documents. They argue that the materials could potentially “jeopardize national security.”

“These records are at the core of the government’s investigation, and the government’s inability to review and use them significantly constrains its investigation,” the DOJ wrote to Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee. “The compelled disclosure of records marked as classified to a special master further harms the Executive Branch’s interest in limiting access to such materials absent any valid purpose served by their review.”

Tuesday evening’s filing was issued largely in response to a motion issued by lawyers from Trump earlier this week. His lawyers argued against the DOJ’s request for a stay in Cannon’s order last week approving a special master.

The DOJ lawyers argue that they don’t want possession of all the documents but are seeking “a stay only as to a discrete set of just over 100 records marked as classified—that is, records that were specifically sought by a prior grand jury subpoena, whose unauthorized retention may constitute a crime.”

“[Trump] instead references other seized records that contain personal information or could be subject to attorney-client privilege, none of which are at issue in this stay motion,” the DOJ also wrote. “As to the records marked as classified, Plaintiff asserts that the government has not ‘proven’ their classification status.”

Intelligence Review

Also in the filing, the DOJ asserts that the 17-agency Intelligence Community led by Director of

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