Trump Asks SCOTUS to Intervene in Mar-a-Lago Case

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Facts

  • Former US Pres. Donald Trump filed an emergency request on Tuesday, asking SCOTUS to block a lower court's ruling that prevented a special master from vetting more than 100 documents marked classified from among the 11k found at his Mar-a-Lago home during a search in August.1
  • Trump's request comes after the three-judge 11th Circuit Court of Appeals restored the Justice Dept.'s (DOJ) access to the classified documents to continue its criminal investigation while the special master conducts his reviews.2
  • The Supreme Court said it wouldn't act until the DOJ gives its response and set a deadline of Oct. 11 at 5 pm.3
  • Previously, Federal Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon granted Trump's request for a special master – appointing Raymond Dearie and giving him until Nov. 30 to complete the audit – and barred the FBI from reviewing the documents until he finished.4
  • In its ruling, the 11th Circuit court doubted Trump has 'individual interest' in the documents, adding that he 'has not even attempted to show that he has a need to know the information contained in classified documents.'1
  • Trump is seeking relief through the court’s so-called 'shadow docket,' in which a written decision will be issued in place of the official process of briefing, oral arguments, and opinions. The justices may also decline to give a reason for their decision or say how they voted.5

Sources: 1Reuters, 2Breitbart, 3NBC, 4Daily Wire and 5CBS.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by CNN. This is yet another futile attempt to delay the inevitable until a potential Trump 2024 campaign, which would make it harder for him to be prosecuted. However, Trump’s request will likely fail, or worse, backfire on him. Even with conservatives — including three of his appointees — running the court, Trump hasn’t received favorable SCOTUS rulings in similar cases. For once, he might not be able to avoid accountability.
  • Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by PJ Media. Trump never stops fighting, and what his opponents don’t understand is that every attack makes him more potent and popular. The DOJ and FBI have done nothing to prove this investigation is anything other than politically motivated, so Trump should keep on doing whatever it takes to crush it.