Judge orders review of material seized at Trump's home

WASHINGTON, Sept 06 (AFP): A US judge on Monday granted Donald Trump's request for the appointment of a "special master" to independently review material seized in an FBI raid on his Florida home, dealing a blow to prosecutors.

Government attorneys had opposed Trump's request, arguing that the appointment of a special master to screen for privileged material could harm national security, and was also unnecessary as a team had already completed a screening.

The decision could delay the investigation into Trump's handling of classified materials and is a boost for the former president, who has denounced the August 8 raid as "one of the most egregious assaults on democracy in the history of our country," and denied all wrongdoing.

Judge Aileen Cannon wrote in her order that "a special master shall be appointed to review the seized property, manage assertions of privilege and make recommendations thereon, and evaluate claims for return of property."

The ruling-which temporarily blocks the government from reviewing or using materials seized in the raid-made an exception for "intelligence classification and national security assessments."

The judge gave both sides until Friday to come up with a list of candidates for the role of special master.

The Justice Department "is examining the opinion and will consider appropriate next steps in the ongoing litigation," spokesman Anthony Coley said in a statement.

Trump is facing mounting legal pressure, with the Justice Department saying top secret documents were "likely concealed" to obstruct an FBI probe into Trump's potential mishandling of classified materials.