Trump Files Lawsuit Against US Government Following FBI Raid

Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against the US government after the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago home and seized a number of documents, seeking to prevent the bureau from reading the seized materials until a special court official can be appointed to review the documents concerned.

The former US President’s lead attorney, Jim Trusty, told reporters that “the suit argues that the court should appoint a special master – usually a retired lawyer or judge – because the FBI potentially seized privileged materials in its search and the Department of Justice (DoJ) should not itself decide what it can use in its investigation”.

The suit, which has been filed in US district court for the southern district of Florida, also “requires the government to provide a more detailed receipt for property; and … requires the government to return any item seized that was not within the scope of the search warrant”.

The FBI search of the Mar-a-Lago property on August 8th, which had been personally approved by Attorney General Merrick Garland, was carried out to look for official records and material that the National Archives and DoJ believe may have been improperly taken from the White House when Trump left office.

It has been reported that some of the documents seized may have contained information relating to nuclear weapons.

The search adds to Trump’s legal woes, with the January 6 committee still investigating his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, whilst his business affairs in New York also remain under investigation.