Trump Suffers Major Court Loss Over Mar-a-Lago

Former President Donald Trump has two major things to keep in the balance right now, a campaign for the presidency in 2024, and a major federal criminal investigation. 

There was a special master who was previously appointed to look at the documents which were taken from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida. These were taken from that home when the FBI raided the residence in the summer. 

The latest move was by a federal appeals court that overturned the appointment of the special master and ordered that the review of the documents end immediately. 

This new ruling said that the lower-court judge was wrong to appoint an expert to decide if any of the materials should be shielded from criminal investigators. Trump wanted this outside expert or special master after the FBI made the search of his home and a private club on August 8 and took more than 13,000 documents from the former president’s time in the White House. 

Approximately 100 of the documents were considered classified and some of them contained very sensitive government secrets, according to court records. 

This is a major loss for Trump and a significant victory for the Department of Justice. The decision from the court affirms that the documents seized were done lawfully and can be used in the criminal investigation against Trump. 

Therefore, the concerns about attorney/client privilege from Trump and now unsubstantiated, and the DOJ can pursue its investigation. 

The panel that made this decision was from the 11th Circuit and it included two Trump appointees and one Bush appointee. It’s going to be hard to argue bias. 

If Trump is ultimately indicted and it happens before the primaries begin in early 2024, it will certainly impact his chances to run again for the White House. Trump certainly hoped to run out the clock, but this quick move has become a major hurdle for his future.