A US judge on Monday ordered an independent expert to review documents seized by the FBI from Donald Trump’s Florida home in early August, giving the former president a reprieve, AFP reported.

Judge Eileen Cannon granted the Republican billionaire’s request in a ruling that temporarily bars federal investigators from using documents seized from Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s Palm Beach residence, in their criminal investigation.

Instead, investigators can continue to review the documents “for purposes of classification and national security assessment,” according to the federal magistrate’s order.

“Flagrant”

The ruling is a victory for the former Republican president and a major setback for the Justice Department, which opposed appointing an independent third party, saying it could block investigators’ access to the documents “and would seriously undermine government interests, including national security.”

Reacting to this decision on his social network Truth, Donald Trump made a connection with the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden and the results of which he still disputes.

“Now that the FBI and DOJ have been caught in massive and decisive election fraud, will they change the results of the 2020 presidential election? They should,” he wrote.

The Department of Justice said it was “reviewing the decision” and “considering appropriate next steps for the ongoing litigation,” according to department spokesman Anthony Cowley.

Appointed by Donald Trump himself in 2020, Judge Cannon wrote in her ruling that the appointment of an independent monitor would be made “immediately,” asking the parties to submit a list of potential names for a hearing scheduled for Friday.