In the dispute over the evaluation of confiscated secret documents, the US Department of Justice has appealed to the country’s Supreme Court to reject an application by ex-President Donald Trump. Trump was unable to prove in the urgent application that he would suffer irreparable damage, the Justice Department argued in a response requested by the court. Trump’s lawyers asked the Supreme Court last week that a special auditor must have access to the classified documents.
The Supreme Court then asked the Justice Department to respond to Trump’s request. A decision could now be made in the coming days. In early August, the Federal Police FBI searched Trump’s villa in the US state of Florida. The FBI confiscated various classified documents, some with the highest level of secrecy. Among the thousands of documents, according to the FBI, were around 100 documents marked as secret.
By keeping the documents in his private home after leaving office, Trump could have made himself liable to prosecution. The result was legal wrangling by the authorities. Trump’s team was finally able to achieve success with the appointment of a neutral examiner. However, an appeals court had denied the special auditor access to the documents marked as secret.
Trump’s lawyers argue that the 76-year-old had unlimited authority to declassify documents while he was president. Therefore, markings alone cannot determine whether a document is still classified or whether Trump has released it. Therefore, the special investigator must be given access. The Justice Department argues that Trump’s request is unfounded.
