A federal judge has granted Donald Trump’s request to have a special master review the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago to weed out privileged material. Judge Aileen Cannon’s order, handed down Monday, means the Department of Justice’s criminal investigators must halt their review of the documents “pending completion of the special master’s review or further Court order.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s damage assessment can still continue. Trump’s lawyers argued a special master was needed because they didn’t trust the DOJ to weed out privileged material and personal items that may have been swept up in the seizure. The DOJ opposed it, saying its own “filter team” had already reviewed the documents and returned a small handful of privileged material. Cannon, a Trump appointee, previously indicated she would grant the request, saying, “What is the harm?” The appointment of a special master will slow the investigation but is unlikely to affect the outcome.
