An appeals court rules the DOJ can regain access to documents seized from Mar-a-Lago

Former President Donald Trump is on the defensive. A Federal appeals court says the Justice Department can resume its review of classified documents seized from his Florida home, and the New York Attorney General is suing him for alleged fraud.

Trump is responding to two probes that took major steps forward yesterday.

A Federal appeals court panel ruled the Justice Department can resume its criminal review of classified documents seized from his home. The appellate Judges didn't buy the argument Trump had somehow declassified the documents.

Meanwhile, in New York, the State Attorney General filed a civil suit against Trump and others. She alleges he fraudulently obtained loans by inflating the value of his assets on applications, among other schemes. Trump's Former Attorney, Michael Cohen, made similar allegations when testifying before a House Committee in 2019.

The appeals court ruling is a reversal of the trial Judge's decision that put documents marked classified in the hands of the Special Master. That would have allowed Trump's Attorneys to see them, but it would have barred the justice department from using them in its criminal probe.