In an era of unprecedented political turmoil, no event, no twist or turn surprises anyone. The latest surprise comes from the former 45th president, Donald Trump.

After a search of his Mar-a-Lago office, officials found multiple classified documents that he should have turned in upon leaving office. With speculation rising, this is set to be a battle fought in the court of law, and fought ferociously.

According to Politico, Trump’s lawyers are taking the stance that his rights are being violated, they are requesting an independent review of materials recovered by the FBI.

“Left unchecked, the DOJ, [Department of Justice] will impugn, leak, and publicize selective aspects of their investigation with no recourse for Movant but to somehow trust the self-restraint of currently unchecked investigators,” the Trump lawyers wrote.

However, the DOJ takes the stance that they are in the right. The department has even hinted at charging him for obstruction of justice.

“I think [Trump] has significant criminal exposure. Whether they ultimately decide to exercise prosecutorial discretion in favor of prosecuting him is another question,” says David Laufman, Former Chief of Counterintelligence at the Department of Justice’s National Security Division when talking to the New York Times.

Donald Trump has made it clear he does not agree with the DOJ’s position on the documents. According to FOX News, he took to Truth Social to defend himself.

“During the Raid of Mar-a-Lago, threw documents haphazardly all over the floor (perhaps pretending it was me that did it!), and then started taking pictures of them for the public to see. Thought they wanted them kept Secret? Lucky I Declassified!” 

Declassification is a process that a president can undertake, but it is a more tedious process than the former president seems to be describing.

“No evidence has emerged that Trump, while president, declassified all of the material that wound up at Mar-a-Lago,” States Bloomberg news, continuing on to say, “And Trump lost the power to declassify when Joe Biden became president.”

However, it is important to note that it is possible that Trump declassified the documents and the Bloomberg article referenced was only a “Quicktake”.

“Number one, it was all declassified,” said Trump, once again on Truth Social, continuing on to say, “Number two, they didn’t have to ‘seize’ anything,”

Trump claims that the DOJ could have just talked to him before intruding on his home and that he did nothing illegal. 

“The government is conducting a criminal investigation concerning the improper removal and storage of classified information in unauthorized spaces, as well as the unlawful

concealment or removal of government records.” says the affidavit released by the DOJ.

However, according to the New York Post, former President Trump continues to fight back.

“Judge Bruce Reinhart should NEVER have allowed the Break-In of my home,” said Trump, he continued on to say, “The political Hacks and Thugs had no right under the Presidential Records Act to storm Mar-a-Lago and steal everything in sight, including Passports and privileged documents,” 

In this theater of political warfare, it is uncertain who will emerge unscathed and who will emerge with a tarnished reputation. The only thing the American people can be confident of is that no coverage, no opinion, and no official statement are without bias.