Trump sues FBI over Mar-a-Lago raid
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Former US President Donald Trump finds himself in waters so hot that he feels pushed to sue the FBI.
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Former US President Donald Trump
Former US President Donald Trump is taking the US government to court over the FBI's raid and search of his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Trump aims to initiate this bid to stop the federal agency from delving into the material seized from him until a special court official can be appointed to review the documents in question.
"The suit argues that the court should appoint a special master – usually a retired lawyer or judge – because the FBI potentially seized privileged materials in its search and the Department of Justice (DoJ) should not itself decide what it can use in its investigation," Trump's lead attorney told The Guardian on Saturday regarding the suit issued on Monday.
Trump is facing a criminal investigation over potential violations of the Espionage Act and additional statutes relating to obstruction of justice, as well as the destruction of federal government records, according to the search warrant executed by FBI agents at the former President's home.
The violation of the Espionage Act has a possible punishment of 10 years in federal prison, the statute for obstruction carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, and the statute for the destruction of records carries a potential lifetime ban on holding public office.
The suit called the search "a shockingly aggressive move" with "no understanding of the distress that it would cause most Americans". The suit also detailed the raid in a subjective manner and detailed so-called "unfair actions" by the DoJ.
Trump's suit also made an attempt to highlight that the former president was intending to run again in 2024 and continue his pursuit of sitting in the oval office once again.
The suit asserted that the investigation into Trump is politically-motivated, saying: "Politics cannot be allowed to impact the administration of justice."
"President Donald J Trump is the clear frontrunner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary and in the 2024 general election, should he decide to run," the suit added.
"Law enforcement is a shield that protects Americans. It cannot be used as a weapon for political purposes," it said, further asserting that the probe into Trump and the raid on his home were politically-motivated.
Days after the FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida, the contents of the search warrant were made public.
The FBI took 11 boxes worth of papers, including data deemed to be so secret that they could not be stated individually in the "receipt" of what was taken.
Trump had 300 classified documents after leaving office
Trump reportedly had more than 300 classified documents in his possession after leaving office, half of which the National Archives unsealed in January, alerting the DoJ to what eventually led to the FBI raid of his Florida estate.
A New York Times report revealed Monday that the large amount of classified materials recovered by the government is what led to a federal criminal investigation into Trump.
In addition to the 150 documents recovered by the National Archives in January and the documents given to the DoJ in June by Trump aides, the documents recovered in the Mar-a-Lago raid raised a total of more than 300 classified documents recovered by Washington, the NYT said.
Trump and the National Archives have been at each other's throats since the former left office in 2021 after the agency found that he was in possession of White House documents that he should have turned over to the government upon the end of his term.
The dramatic FBI raid on Donald Trump's palatial Florida residence has supercharged the bitter, polarizing political debate around the slew of judicial investigations facing the former President as he considers another White House run.
The whole debacle with the Department of Justice deals a Trump mighty legal blow, which constitutes his latest, as he fights numerous other cases, including the January 6 Capitol riots, which could obstruct his path to a new presidency at the White House in 2024.
