U.S. Justice Dept responds to Trump FBI search lawsuit

The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday filed its latest response to former president Donald Trump’s lawsuit over the FBI’s search of his home, though some of its filings were made under seal because they include more details about the items seized from his Florida estate.
“When producing the documents, neither counsel nor the custodian asserted that the former President had declassified the documents or asserted any claim of executive privilege,” the department argued in a filing in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida.
“The government also developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the Storage Room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation.”
The Justice Department’s filings come ahead of a Thursday court hearing before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in West Palm Beach. She is weighing Trump’s request to appoint a special master who would conduct a privilege review of the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8, many of which are labeled as classified.
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.