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Judge tells Trump team to "do better"

Former U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held in the Hyatt Regency on February 28, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Former President Trump and his legal team have filed a motion asking a federal judge to pause the FBI's review of alleged classified documents taken from his Mar-a-Lago resort so a neutral special master can be appointed to inspect them.

The motion was included in a federal lawsuit filed by Trump targeting the FBI's justification for the Aug. 8 raid. According to reports, Trump had more than 300 classified documents at his Palm Beach resort that he allegedly took from the White House at the end of his tenure.

But in a new development this Tuesday, the judge overseeing the case gave Trump and his legal team until Friday to give more specifics as to why they think their motion should be granted.

"Judge Aileen Cannon seems skeptical about Trump's lawsuit over the search of Mar-a-Lago, including what exactly he is trying to do and why he filed a separate case instead of just asking Judge Bruce Reinhart to address his grievances in the existing matter," explained New York Times reporter Charlie Savage.

"The judge assigned to Trump's civil complaint is basically telling them they need to do better," tweeted Reuters reporter and legal expert Sarah Lynch.

As CBS News' Steven Portnoy pointed out, the judge wants Trump's legal team to provide "the asserted basis for the exercise of this Court's jurisdiction," "the precise relief sought, including any request for injunctive relief," and the "the effect, if any, of the proceeding before" Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart.

"This order is hilarious," added David French of The Dispatch. "Any decent litigator would read it and shudder--basically the judge is saying to Trump's team, 'Do your job.'"

"Translation: Trump's motion is a mess and the judge needs them to spell out exactly what they're asking for and why they think they're entitled to that relief," tweeted Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor.

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