Attorneys representing Donald Trump responded on Wednesday to a filing by the Department of Justice in the case over the government documents obtained when the FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago.
The DOJ's 36-page filing, filed shortly before midnight, included 18 additional pages of exhibits. Trump's team was given until 8 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday to respond.
"Former President Donald J. Trump may have thought that he was playing offense when he asked a federal judge last week for an independent review of documents seized from his residence in Florida — a move that, at best, could delay but not derail an investigation into his handling of the records," The New York Times reported Thursday. "In what read at times like a road map for a potential prosecution down the road, the filing also laid out evidence that Mr. Trump and his lawyers may have obstructed justice. "It was as if Mr. Trump, seeming not to fully grasp the potential hazards of his modest legal move, cracked open a door, allowing the Justice Department to push past him and seize the initiative."
Moments before the deadline, Trump responded in a 19-page filing submitted by attorneys Lindsey Halligan, Jim Trusty, and Evan Corcoran.
Legal experts quickly panned the filing.
Former Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissman wrote, "This is another PR filing, not a serious one."
Attorney Ken White, who tweets under the popular @popehat account, wrote, "This is crap, but it is not quite as crappy as the prior docs. It shows some gestures towards organization and subject matter relevance. But it's petulant crap."
Ethics expert Norm Eisen said the filing is "full of nonsense."
Legal experts believe Trump's push for a special master backfired by giving the Department of Justice a reason to release a damning photo of classified documents recovered.
The DOJ filing also allowed prosecutors to publicly present critical information about Trump's passports which could be "smoking gun" evidence.
Trump lawyers may now be in legal jeopardy themselves.
Federal Judge Aileen Cannon has scheduled a Thursday hearing on the competing motions.
