The U.S. Dept. of Justice on Thursday filed a notice of appeal against U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon‘s ruling allowing Donald Trump the “special master” his legal team requested. The order also halted DOJ from taking any investigative steps in conjunction with the 13,000 items, including more than 100 classified documents federal agents seized during the August 8 search warrant execution of Mar-a-Lago.
“The Justice Department also argued that a former president cannot assert executive privilege after he leaves office, and that it is not possible for one part of the executive branch to assert privilege to shield documents from another part,” The Washington Post reports, but notes that the “appeals process could take longer than any document review by the special master.”
CBS News Congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane adds that DOJ has also asked the court, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, to stay Judge Cannons decision.
A reading of the DOJ’s petition shows the requested stay applies only to the 100 or so classified documents.
Judge Cannon’s “order would irreparably harm the government and the public by unnecessarily requiring the government to share highly classified materials with a special master,” DOJ states.
This is a breaking news and developing story.