Trump Docs: Appeals Court Lifts Hold on Classified Records

Facts

• On Wednesday, the Atlanta-based 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request by federal prosecutors to block a lower court's decision to halt the use of classified documents seized from Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
• The three-judge panel agreed with the Dept. of Justice (DOJ), arguing that an injunction that delayed the use of classified material “risks imposing real and significant harm on the United States and the public.”
• The DOJ argued that its investigation had been impeded by the order of US District Judge Aileen Cannon barring investigators from continuing to use the classified documents until a "special master" had completed a separate, independent review of the material.
• The appeals court also noted that Trump had presented no evidence he had declassified the records, or that Trump could have an “individual interest in or need for” the roughly 100 classified documents seized.
• Two of the three judges who issued the ruling were Trump appointees. One judge was nominated by former Pres. Obama.
• The documents in question were retrieved by the FBI, which conducted a court-approved search of Trump's home on Aug. 8. It seized more than 11K documents.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Guardian, NPR Online News, and Reuters.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Daily Kos. The appeals court has demolished the Trump legal team’s rationale and ignored his futile attempts to stop the DOJ investigation. This is a victory for the rule of law and proves that Trump, like every other citizen, has to abide by the rules. No one is above the law.
• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Federalist. The courts neglected the public interest in getting an independent look at these documents. Instead, they've accepted the DOJ’s word as gold, despite many recent examples of government lies in warrants. The DOJ has been weaponized by Democrats to support shameless campaigning before the November midterms.

Predictions