President Trump gets raided at Mar-A-Lago by the FBI what's happened?
Former president Trumps medical records, tax documents, and passport seized by FBI raid
FBI raids Mar-a-Lago and seizes trumps confidential information
An FBI raid on the former president's Mar-a-Lago residence resulted in the seizure of papers pertaining to his accounting information and taxes, a federal court disclosed on Monday.
Aileen M. Cannon, a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, issued an order on Monday appointing an impartial special master to examine Trump's documents for evidence of attorney-client and executive privilege.
The Justice Department was also told to suspend its own analysis of the data for forensic purposes by the judge. According to a person with direct knowledge, the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago and took 40 years' worth of Trump's medical data.
Trumps Tax Returns
Since 2019, congressional Democrats have demanded Trump's tax returns. In accordance with a statute that enables the disclosure of an individual's tax returns to the congressional committee.
A federal appeals court last month made it possible for the House Ways and Means Committee to finally receive Trump's tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service.
Trump may ask the Supreme Court for immediate involvement in an effort to temporarily halt the publication of those tax data to the committee.
According to a statement from Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley, "The United States is reviewing the ruling and will consider appropriate next measures in the continuing dispute." The FBI chose not to respond.
FBI took documents protected by executive privilege and perhaps attorney-client privilege
Fox News was the first to reveal last month that during the raid, FBI investigators took boxes containing documents protected by executive privilege and perhaps attorney-client privilege.
A legal privilege known as "attorney-client privilege" protects the confidentiality of conversations between an attorney and their client.
Whether the papers contain correspondence between the former president and his personal attorneys, the White House counsel during the Trump administration or a combination of both is unknown at this time.
Judge orders DOJ to hold the investigation
During the raid, the FBI also took Trump's passports, which they eventually gave back to the former president.
Following Cannon's directive, the Justice Department provided a more thorough inventory of the items it seized during the search on Mar-a-Lago last week. This list included a significant number of classified papers and folders with classified markings.
A large number of other materials were also collected, including over 1,000 papers without classified markings, several entries for "Article of Clothing/Gift Item," and hundreds of printed news articles.
Also unknown is the purpose for the seizure of items marked "Article of Clothing/Gift Item." The DOJ said that it took 18 such things in total.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department's "taint" or "filter" team's examination of confiscated documents was put on hold by Cannon's order on Monday.
"Furthermore, in natural conjunction with that appointment, and consistent with the value and sequence of special master procedures, the Court also temporarily enjoins the Government from reviewing and using the seized materials for investigative purposes pending completion of the special master’s review or further Court order."Â
The government ordered not to obstruct the classification review
But according to the government's notice of receipt of the preliminary order, the order "must not obstruct the classification review and/or intelligence assessment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence ("ODNI")."
In the wake of the unusual search of Trump's property, his legal team asked Cannon to appoint a special master last month.
They claimed that the DOJ's "Privilege Review Team" shouldn't be the final arbiter of whether its actions were appropriate in such a high-profile case and that the review team's scope was too narrow.
Following Cannon's directive, Trump commented on his TRUTH Social account criticizing the "corrupt" Justice Department.
Trump speaks out after the raid
Trump said, "Until they demonstrate impartiality, knowledge, fairness, and bravery, our Country will be degraded to the status of a Third World Nation and never be able to recover."
The initial search of Trump's residence was carried out by the government in reaction to what it considers to be a breach of federal laws: Gathering, transferring, or losing defense information is prohibited by 18 USC 793, as are concealment, removal, or mutilation.
Additionally, data used in federal investigations are prohibited by 18 USC 1519 from being destroyed, altered, or falsified. The search of Trump's residence was reportedly personally approved by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
All rights belong to FOX NEWS which is solely responsible for all content.
This article originally appeared in Trump medical records, tax documents seized in FBI raid: judge
Fox News' David Spunt, Bill Mears, and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
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