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Former President Trump’s legal counsel said on the Mark Levin Show that he’s preparing to file a Fourth Amendment-related legal challenge “very soon” against the Department of Justice in relation to the Mar-a-Lago raid.
James Trusty, a former federal prosecutor, said that Trump’s legal team is going to “weigh in very strong and very hard,” stating that they are going to be “attacking” the search warrant used in the FBI’s raid on the former president’s Florida estate.
“It should be something that gets publicly filed. So the whole United States will get to read this thing,” Trusty said regarding the action the former president will take. As for the timing of the move, Trusty said Monday is a “possiblity” but added “it’s probably going to be more like hours.”
“It’s coming very soon,” he said.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower to meet with New York Attorney General Letitia James for a civil investigation on August 10, 2022 in New York City.
(James Devaney/GC Images)
“You know, the Fourth Amendment requires particularity. It requires narrowness to the intrusion on the person’s home. And this warrant had language in it. And keep in mind, all we’ve seen is a warrant and an inventory. But the warrant has language in it about if you find a classified document, you can take the whole box around, it and you can take any boxes near it. And that’s really the functional equivalent of a general search. There’s just no limit to that kind of scope in the warrant,” Trusty said on the Mark Levin Show.
Trusty said that Trump is “entitled” to a specific inventory list of what was taken from Mar-a-Lago, and went on to say that the property receipt, which was publicly released, is a “very vague document.”
“We are way behind in terms of the government playing fair and giving us the details that we’re entitled to,” Trusty said.
He also called it “perplexing” that FBI agents grabbed items such as attorney-client privileged information and passports belonging to the former president.
Agents from the FBI executed a search warrant on Trump’s Florida estate on Aug. 8 and seized items, which include 11 sets of material that are listed as classified, as well as some that were marked as top secret.
Trump has denied that any of the materials in his possession at Mar-a-Lago were classified.
Trump’s attorney also called for a “judicial intervention” at the district court level that “can help us vindicate the First Amendment rights of the president,” adding “we’re going to come out swinging.”
JUDGE SCHEDULES HEARING ON UNSEALING FBI MAR-A-LAGO SEARCH RECORDS
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Hilton Anatole on Aug. 6, 2022 in Dallas, Texas.
(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Trusty called for a third party to get involved with the goal of stopping the Justice Department “in their tracks when it comes to inspecting these documents.”
“They shouldn’t have anybody filter team or not, looking at these materials right now because of the nature of this search and the misrepresentations, frankly, that we’re getting from the DOJ about why they did the search and even how they conducted it,” Trusty said on the Mark Levin Show.
He said that this is “bizarre territory” and said that it is “worrisome territory in terms of the historic precedent of it,” also stating that there are large amounts of documents that were taken that are subject to privilege.
“We think there’s a legitimate large swath of potential documents subject to privilege, and we’re not willing to just take it on faith,” Trusty said.
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Donald Trump leaves NYC post FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago resort
(Felipe Ramales: Fox News Digital)
Trump previewed the legal challenge on Friday in a Truth Social post, stating that a “major motion” would soon be filed.
“A major motion pertaining to the Fourth Amendment will soon be filed concerning the illegal Break-In of my home, Mar-a-Lago, right before the ever important Mid-Term Elections. My rights, together with the rights of all Americans, have been violated at a level rarely seen before in our Country. Remember, they even spied on my campaign. The greatest Witch Hunt in USA history has been going on for six years, with no consequences to the scammers. It should not be allowed to continue!,” Trump said.