Judge blocks review of seized papers from Trump's estate

Washington, Sep 16: A judge on Thursday refused to let the US Justice Department (DOJ) immediately resume analysis of classified records which last month were seized by the FBI from former President Donald Trump's Florida estate.

"The court does not find it appropriate to accept the government's conclusions on these important and disputed issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expedited and orderly fashion," Federal Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump during his tenure as president, wrote Thursday.

Veteran judge appointed arbiter in Trump Mar-a-Lago probe

At the same time, Cannon has appointed Senior District Judge Raymond Dearie - a veteran New York jurist - as a third party to review the records seized by the FBI for materials that could be privileged and kept from federal investigators.

The DOJ has previously vowed to take the case to an appeals court if Cannon ruled against their request.

The department had also attempted to prevent the independent arbiter, Dearie, from vetting the classified documents gathered in the court-approved search that took place at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on August 8.

Source: DW