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Bill Barr, former attorney general for Donald Trump, is calling a judge's approval of an arbiter to oversee documents seized from the home of his old boss "deeply flawed," saying it'll slow but won't change the case against the former president.
Appearing on Fox News Tuesday, Barr sharply criticized U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon for granting a request from Trump's lawyers for a special master to review sensitive materials taken from the former president's Mar-a-Lago home. Joining other legal experts who've blasted the ruling, Barr's remarks are the latest in his ongoing rift with Trump since leaving office.
Cannon, a Trump appointee, on Monday authorized a special master, likely a retired judge or legal expert, to look for personal items and documents covered by attorney-client or executive privilege taken by federal law enforcement in the August 8 court-authorized search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in southern Florida.
The ruling also temporarily blocked the Department of Justice (DOJ) from using seized materials in its investigation to determine if Trump was illegally hoarding highly sensitive government documents.
Barr said during an appearance on The Story with Martha MacCallum that he expects the decision to appoint the special master to be overturned if appealed by the DOJ.
"I don't think the appointment of a special master is going to hold up," Barr said. "But even if it does, I don't see it fundamentally changing the trajectory. In other words, I don't think it changes the ballgame so much as maybe we'll have a rain delay for a couple of innings."
An appeal could take several months, unless it is expedited, Barr said.
Despite the victory for Trump's legal team, Barr said the "fundamental dynamics of the case" remain. The government "has very strong evidence" in determining whether to bring charges, including whether classified information was taken and handled improperly after Trump left office, Barr added.
Trump has denied mishandling government documents at the end of his presidency, calling the search politically motivated. Last week, the former president blasted Barr in a Truth Social post, saying, "Bill Barr had 'no guts,' and got 'no glory.'
The DOJ last week included a photo in a filing last week showing documents marked "secret" or "top secret" that were taken during the search of the former president's home. In a post to his Truth Social network, Trump criticized how the DOJ displayed the documents but he didn't deny having them.
In a separate Fox News appearance Friday, Barr said Trump's legal team had "jerked around" the DOJ as it sought to retrieve the documents.
Newsweek has reached out to Trump's legal team for comment.
About the writer
Jake Thomas is a Newsweek night reporter based in Portland, Oregon. His focus is U.S. national politics, crime and public ... Read more