REPORTS: DOJ “filter” team reviewing Trump Mar-a-Lago files

Reports of the new workflow come as Trump sues for the appointment of an independent special master

As the U.S. Department of Justice continues its investigation into the document seized from former U.S. President Donald Trump—American media outlets are reporting that the agency is using a “filter team.”

The term refers to a group or team tasked with reviewing documents following raids which is standard procedure.

The filter team’s job is to identify records that need to be protected by attorney-client privilege.

This comes after the former President’s legal team asked a federal judge in South Florida on Monday to appoint a special master to make certain that the Justice Department returns any of Trump’s private documents seized during the raid on Aug. 8.

Trump’s attorneys’ have been concerned specifically that privileged materials were seized by FBI agents following the unprecedented raid on the beach club, Mar-a-Lago.

It is unclear whether the DOJ’s use of a filter team will have any effect on the motion that Trump’s legal team has filed, which calls for the review to be suspended until a watchdog—or third-party independent attorney is appointed.