Feds: Only Few Seized Trump Documents Are Privileged

Donald Trump wants an independent arbiter known as a special master appointed to review documents seized by the FBI from his Mar-a-Lago estate. However, a development on Monday may have made his request a moot one, reports the New York Times. In a court filing, the Justice Department says a special "filter team" already has completed a review of the documents and discovered only a "limited set" that might be protected by attorney-client privilege, per Axios. Those documents already have been set aside, with the Justice Department "in the process of following the procedures" to resolve disputes over privilege, reports the Washington Post.

In making the request for the special master, Trump's legal team had sought to prevent the FBI from reviewing the seized documents, arguing that some went beyond the scope of the search warrant and were protected by attorney-client privilege. Over the weekend, a judge said she was inclined to approve the request but gave the Justice Department time to respond, per the AP. Monday's court filing suggests Trump's request for an arbiter, which came two weeks after the search, was too late. The judge has scheduled a Thursday hearing in Florida on the matter. (A more thorough review of the seized documents is underway in regard to national security implications.)