WASHINGTON: The U.S. Justice Department’s search of former President Donald Trump’s home this month turned up a “limited” number of documents subject to attorney-client privilege, federal prosecutors said in a court filing on Monday.
The new disclosure by the Justice Department could bolster a request by Trump’s legal team to appoint a special master to conduct a privilege review of the items the FBI seized from Trump’s Florida estate during its unprecedented Aug. 8 search.
A special master is an independent third-party sometimes appointed by a court in sensitive cases to review materials potentially covered by attorney-client privilege to ensure investigators do not improperly view them.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon of the Southern District of Florida over the weekend issued an order saying she was inclined to appoint a special master.
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She ordered the Justice Department to respond to Trump’s request, and also to provide under seal a more detailed list of the items seized from Trump’s home.
On Monday, the Justice Department said it will comply with the request and file the information under seal by Tuesday.
It also said that the department along with Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) are currently conducting a classification review of the materials seized, and that ODNI is separately spearheading an “intelligence community assessment of the potential risk to national security” that could arise if they were ever exposed.
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