Former President Donald Trump will not be required to submit a declaration regarding whether the Justice Department planted evidence during a raid at his Mar-a-Lago home in August.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon overruled the special master’s request for the information.
— Larry 🇺🇸 🏈 ⚾ (@pnl1959) September 30, 2022
The ruling
“There shall be no separate requirement on Plaintiff at this stage, prior to the review of any of the Seized Materials, to lodge ex ante final objections to the accuracy of Defendant’s Inventory, its descriptions, or its contents,” Cannon wrote.
“The Court’s Appointment Order did not contemplate that obligation,” she added, noting his lawyers’ “current inability to access the Seized Materials.”
NEW: Judge Aileen Cannon rules that Trump does not have to submit a declaration or affidavit about whether FBI supposedly planted any docs at Mar-a-Lago, at least until the review of the seized materials — https://t.co/5zdKoiOhAn
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) September 29, 2022
Overruling the previous requirement
The ruling overruled the previous ruling by U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie, the special master, who said that Trump’s legal team must identify any such materials.
The change should make it easier for Trump’s legal team to proceed in response to the list of requirements for the special master.
A list of any specific items set forth in the Detailed Property Inventory that Plaintiff asserts were not seized from the Premises on August 8 2022” asking4proof of Trump’s claims that the incriminating evidence found at M-a-L was part of an FBI frame job.https://t.co/x2R0tiYxRY
— Lise Latulippe Fully Vaccinated and Boosted (@lise_latulippe) September 24, 2022
Trump’s legal team already faces an epic battle in response to the FBI’s unprecedented raid on the former president’s home.
The new action should help in terms of procedures, but the outcome is far from certain and far from over in the battle between the Biden administration and Trump.
The feud may come to full strength in the coming months if both Biden and Trump announce White House runs in a rematch in 2024.