Former US President Donald Trump on Monday asked a court to appoint an independent expert to review documents seized by the FBI during a search of his Florida home to determine whether any of them can be kept confidential.
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This search, conducted by the federal police on August 8 and unprecedented for a former head of state, “was illegal and unconstitutional, and we are doing everything we can to recover the documents,” said the Republican billionaire in a press release.
In a court document where he repeats that he was targeted for political reasons, the ex-president wants the appointment of an independent expert who would be responsible for reviewing the documents seized and determining which Mr. Trump can keep “confidential” , and therefore would not be used in surveys.
“They took documents protected” by confidentiality between client and lawyer, he added in his press release.
The list of objects seized by the FBI, made public, mentions many documents classified as “top secret”.
Investigators suspect the Republican of having violated an American law on espionage which very strictly regulates the possession of confidential documents. Donald Trump assured that these documents had been declassified.
“The government has long treated President Donald Trump unfairly,” his lawyers write in the court document, claiming he is “the favorite in the Republican presidential primary of 2024” as well as in the presidential election itself. even “if he decides to stand as a candidate”.
Justice “cannot be used for political objectives”, they still say.
Donald Trump is also under investigation into his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and his role in his supporters’ assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
He is currently not being prosecuted in any case.