The Facts
- Lawyers for Trump requested in a Mon. court filing that the FBI be prevented from continuing to review documents recovered earlier this month from the former president's Mar-a-Lago home until a neutral "special master" is appointed to inspect the records.
- The filing - assigned to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon appointed to the bench by Trump - asks that the Dept. of Justice provide a more detailed property receipt outlining items seized during the Aug. 8 search, and that anything outside the scope of the warrant be returned.
- Trump's suit accuses the federal government of violating his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure with the raid, which is believed to be the first time the home of a former president was searched in connection with a criminal case.
Sources Split
LEFT
CENTER
RIGHT
ESTAB
CRIT
CENTER
PRO
ESTAB
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
It's unprecedented and absurd for the FBI to target a former president, especially when that former president is considering a run for office against the current administration. The affidavit underpinning the raid will eventually have to be made public, and the American people will hopefully then know the real reasons why Trump is under attack.
Democratic narrative
Federal law enforcement officials have acted in accordance with due process: They believe there's evidence of a crime, so they consulted a judge, were granted and then executed a search warrant. By inflaming tensions among Trump's base and calling into question the FBI as an institution the GOP is taking the dangerous and indefensible position that Trump is above the law.