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Ex-president seeks to prevent bureau from reading seized documents until court official weighs in.
Donald Trump on Monday filed suit against the US government over the FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago home, seeking to temporarily stop the bureau reading seized materials until a special court official can be appointed to review documents concerned.
As the Guardian reported on Saturday, citing Trump’s lead attorney, Jim Trusty, and two sources familiar with the matter, “the suit argues that the court should appoint a special master – usually a retired lawyer or judge – because the FBI potentially seized privileged materials in its search and the Department of Justice (DoJ) should not itself decide what it can use in its investigation”.
The suit, filed in US district court for the southern district of Florida, also “requires the government to provide a more detailed receipt for property; and … requires the government to return any item seized that was not within the scope of the search warrant”.
The Mar-a-Lago search, on 8 August, was mounted to look for official records and material from Trump’s presidency that the National Archives and DoJ believe was improperly taken from the White House when Trump left office.
It has been reported that the search was carried out under the Espionage Act, and that some material sought concerned nuclear weapons.
The search has generally been held to have added significantly to Trump’s legal jeopardy, which stretches from investigations of his business affairs in New York to investigations of his attempts to overturn election results.
Trump refused to admit defeat by Joe Biden in 2020, claiming widespread electoral fraud, a lie that stoked his incitement of the deadly attack on the US Capitol by his supporters on 6 January 2021.
Despite a series of public hearings held by a House committee investigating the attack on Congress and Trump’s election subversion, Trump’s grip on the Republican party remains strong.
The former president seized on the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago to claim mistreatment by the Biden administration, a stance backed by Republicans in Congress and the party’s electoral base.
The suit filed on Monday called the search “a shockingly aggressive move” with “no understanding of the distress that it would cause most Americans”. It laid out a partial view of how the search unfolded and alleged unfair actions by the DoJ.
Earlier on Monday, a federal judge considering an attempt by media organizations to unseal the warrant used to justify the search said he had not yet decided if the release of a redacted version would serve any useful purpose.
The judge, Bruce Reinhart, wrote: “I cannot say at this point that partial redactions will be so extensive that they will result in a meaningless disclosure, but I may ultimately reach that conclusion after hearing further from the government.”
The DoJ opposes release of the warrant, citing an ongoing investigation.
The suit Trump filed on Monday also sought to draw attention to his continued suggestions that he will soon announce another run for the White House.
“Politics cannot be allowed to impact the administration of justice,” it said. “President Donald J Trump is the clear frontrunner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary and in the 2024 general election, should he decide to run.
“Beyond that, his endorsement in the 2022 midterm elections has been decisive for Republican candidates.”
The suit also says: “Law enforcement is a shield that protects Americans. It cannot be used as a weapon for political purposes.” - theguardian.com
Donald Trump’s political fundraising vehicle has taken the unusual step of paying $650,000 to commission two official portraits of the former president and his wife that will hang in Washington’s prestigious National Portrait Gallery.
The Save America PAC made the donation on July 14, according to public records and the Smithsonian, in an arrangement the museum said was unprecedented in recent presidential history. Another unnamed donor provided a further $100,000.
The Washington-based Smithsonian always commissions portraits of departing presidents to hang in the National Portrait Gallery but normally raises funds from private donors to cover the cost.
This is the first time in recent memory an organisation connected with a former president has helped fund the portraits, the Smithsonian said. Neither Barack Obama, George W Bush nor their political fundraising arms were involved in funding their paintings, the museum added.
The Smithsonian said: “The Save America donation of $650,000 is accompanied by one additional private donation. It is specifically for the portraits of former president Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump.
“Two artists have been commissioned, one for each portrait. The names will be released closer to the reveal of the paintings. The funds support the artists’ fees, shipping, framing, installation and events.”
A representative for Donald Trump did not respond to a request for comment.
The Smithsonian’s presidential portraits have a unique status in American political life.
Every departing president has been invited to choose an artist to paint a picture of themselves to hang in the America’s Presidents exhibition — the only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House.
While most presidents have chosen relatively conservative artists and traditional poses, Obama made waves when he chose Kehinde Wiley to paint him against a backdrop of vivid green leaves and multicoloured flowers.
The museum would not say whom the Trumps had commissioned to paint their portraits or when the paintings would be finished.
Unlike most former presidents, Trump has continued to fundraise after leaving office as he weighs another bid for the White House.
Trump’s affiliated PACs — including Save America — raised $17mn in the second quarter of the year, down from $23mn in the first quarter, and some observers have interpreted the slowdown as a sign that Republican donors are starting to take a serious look at other candidates.
But the Save America committee is still sitting on almost $100mn, according to its latest public filings, showing Trump’s enduring popularity with the Republican base.
It has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars donating to groups supporting Trump-endorsed candidates, including Harriet Hageman in Wyoming and David Perdue in Georgia.
Hageman recently defeated Liz Cheney to be the Republican candidate for Congress from Wyoming, while Perdue lost his bid to unseat Brian Kemp as the party’s nominee for Georgia governor.
Save America has also made donations less focused on winning elections, such as $1mn each last year for two rightwing non-profit groups, one led by Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows. - ft.com
Since Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys for $140 million in 1989, he's overseen the team grow into the most valuable franchise in the NFL, valued at over $8 billion.
But there was a time when former U.S. President Donald Trump could have added the Cowboys to his portfolio.
According to Front Office Sports, Trump had the opportunity to buy the team for $50 million back in 1983. Trump declined.
Instead, Trump invested his money into the United States Football League, taking the New Jersey Generals as his team and helping to oversee the league before it folded in 1985.
"I feel sorry for the poor guy who is going to buy the Cowboys... he'll be known to the world as a loser," Trump said.
When Jerry Jones took over the Cowboys in 1989, he was taking over a team that had long-since lost its way as a winning franchise.
One of his first orders of business was the still-controversial decision to fire head coach Tom Landry and install Jimmy Johnson instead.
There were growing pains at first, namely the 1-15 season that remains one of the worst seasons in NFL history.
But within three years of Jones taking over they were back in the playoffs and within seven years they were three time Super Bowl champions.
Jerry Jones might not have taken as many trips to the White House as Donald Trump did, but his legacy as one of the NFL's all-time greats is already secured.
As for Trump, his legacy in pro football is the failure of the USFL and being repeatedly snubbed by Super Bowl championship winners as President of the United States. - thespun
