“Any of my first year law students would have written a better opinion,” attorney and former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal tweeted.
Multiple legal experts have expressed dismay with the appointment of a special master to review documents discovered by federal authorities last month in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
The surprise Labor Day order issued by Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon appeases Trump’s attorneys, who initially made the request due to “presumptively privileged” documents that perhaps involve presidential communication with advisers. The decision not only allows an independent expert to review some 13,000 records but also halts the ongoing criminal investigation by the Department of Justice.
Attorney and former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal said Monday that “any of my first year law students would have written a better opinion.”
He particularly took umbrage with Cannon’s reference to the potential “reputational” harm of Trump in relation to the investigation, arguing that every criminal defendant suffers reputational harm and yet not every case requires a special master.
“Judge [Cannon] enjoins the entire investigation because some of the material might be subject to Executive Privilege,” Katyal said as part of a series of tweets.
