DOJ appeals special master appointment over Trump documents

• The DOJ has appealed against the appointment of a special master to review the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago.
• The justice department also filed for a partial stay on the federal judge’s order pending the results of the appeal.
• The DOJ argued that delaying “a criminal investigation of matters involving risks to national security” could cause the nation “irreparable harm.”

The Department of Justice has challenged a federal judge’s ruling that granted former President Donald Trump’s request for a special master to review the materials seized from his Florida home.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s ruling on Monday stated that a special master shall “review the seized property for personal items and documents and potentially privileged material subject to claims of attorney-client and/or executive privilege.”

The ruling gave the DOJ and Trump’s legal team until Friday to submit a list of proposed special master candidates and outline their specific “duties and limitations.”

Cannon’s ruling also “temporarily enjoins the government from reviewing and using the seized materials for investigative purposes.”

The justice department filed a motion to appeal the ruling three days later.

The DOJ also filed for a partial stay on Cannon’s order pending the results of the appeal. Cannon’s order still allowed the intelligence community to continue its review of the documents. Still, the DOJ argued that such a review “cannot be readily segregated from” the ongoing criminal investigation by the DOJ and FBI.

The justice department further argued that delaying “a criminal investigation of matters involving risks to national security” could cause “irreparable harm” to the government and the public.

According to the filing, prosecutors will give the court until Sept. 15 to grant a stay. If a stay is not granted, “the government intends to seek relief from the Eleventh Circuit.”

It is still unclear if the DOJ is appealing the entirety of Cannon’s order or just parts of it.

The DOJ has previously argued against appointing a special master, citing “national security interests.” The department added that the documents seized from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate are not protected by attorney-client and executive privileges.

Source: Axios