A panel consisting of three appeals court judges grilled Donald Trump’s lawyer James Trusty on Tuesday over the appointment of a special master in the Mar-a-Lago search case.
What Happened: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit judges were skeptical over the need for the appointment of a neutral arbiter, reported The Washington Post.
Chief Judge William Pryor Jr. raised concerns that the case could create a precedent where anyone could ask for a special master if they were served with a search warrant, according to the report.
“If you can’t establish that it was unlawful,” he said, “then what are we doing here?” asked Pryor criticizing the Trump lawyer for failure to prove that the search was illegal.
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Judges on the panel criticized Trump’s legal team for making different arguments at different venues. Pryor reportedly described the warrant served at the Mar-a-Lago as a “general warrant” with a broad scope.
“It seems to be a new argument,” said Pryor — adding, “This really has been shifting sands of the arguments.”
Why It Matters: The attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, Sopan Joshi, said that Trump had failed to show he suffered “irreparable harm” which would require the appointment of a special master.
Trusty said that the appointment didn’t come in the way of the criminal investigation and described the Aug. 8 search as “carte blanche” that netted personal items.
Trump appointee judge Aileen Cannon appointed Senior District Judge Raymond Dearie as a special master in the case in September this year.
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