A federal appeals court Thursday approved the appointment of the so-called special masteran independent arbitrator, for former President Donald Trump. This is reported by various American media. This clears the way for the US Justice Department to investigate the documents seized from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
In early August, the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida home. More than 13,000 documents related to Trump’s time in the White House were found during the search. Among the documents were government secrets.
In October it was announced that a special master would be appointed to determine which documents could be examined. The court’s decision is a setback for Trump. He had forced the appointment of such an arbitrator through the courts.
Conservative Justice Aileen Cannon, who was nominated by Trump himself shortly before he stepped down, had granted Trump’s request for independent arbitration. According to the court, she should not have done this. Whether Trump will appeal the appeals court decision is not clear.
The criminal investigation into Trump includes whether the former president withheld confidential papers and whether he attempted to thwart a federal investigation.
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