DOJ Granted Access to Classified Documents Seized from Mar-a-Lago

The Department of Justice has been granted access to continue reviewing classified documents seized during the warrant search of Former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago. The decision from a federal appeals court is the latest development in the legal showdown that has waged since the FBI conducted the search early last month.

The appeals court stated that “it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the United States to answer these critical questions if its criminal investigators are not permitted to review the seized classified materials.” This development allows for the DOJ to continue their investigation into the Former President and determine if the classified materials were compromised or exposed, which they have argued in court is a national security threat that requires immediate attention.

The decision was made in tandem with the ongoing review of the seized materials by an appointed special master, Raymond Dearie, a former federal judge in Brooklyn. Dearie will continue his review of the roughly 11,000 seized documents, however around 100 documents bearing classified markings will be removed from the review and handed over to the Department of Justice.

While coverage of the Mar-a-Lago raid has so far been extensive, this latest development in the legal saga was covered more so on the left and largely ignored by the right. Coverage across the spectrum has consistently made note of the judges involved, specifically which Presidential Administration appointed them.