For months, YouTuber LegalEagle and the law firm National Security Counselors have fought to obtain records from the FBI’s 2022 investigation at Mar-a-Lago. The National Archives wasn’t cooperative, so they used the Freedom of Information Act to challenge the withholding of classified documents legally. Some of these records were reportedly sent to Trump, which is why we’ve now arrived at the rather bizarre headline of a YouTuber wanting to serve the President with a subpoena.
LegalEagle has subpoenaed President Trump for those returned FBI records and the communication about said records. Back in April, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel declared the Presidential Records Act itself “unconstitutional,”’” arguing that the president “‘”need not further comply with its dictates.” Even though the case was pushed aside, the YouTuber and those demanding the records didn’t give up and have now been given a chance by a federal judge.
After many failed attempts to serve Trump through his representatives, LegalEagle finally compelled a judge to respond. According to Law & Crime, it was “obviously impractical” to subpoena President Trump in person, not to mention that trying to get Mar-a-Lago to cough up the returned files and its related correspondence was going nowhere. Instead, the YouTuber can now serve Trump via “certified mail,” sent directly to one of his private attorneys.
The Battle Isn’t Over
This does not mean LegalEagle has won the fight for the records or that Trump must listen to the YouTuber’s demands. The ruling only settles how the subpoena can be legally served, which, in this case, is through mail. Once served, Trump can still respond however he wishes through the normal legal process, including rejecting or challenging the subpoena. LegalEagle’s attorney argues that these sought-after records could reveal government’s position that they did not have to be processed for release.
While some are pleased to hear about this development in LegalEagle’s saga to get the records from Mar-a-Lago, others are skeptical that anything good will actually come of this. Still, it’s hard to imagine that YouTuber LegalEagle, his team, and the National Security Counselors will not continue to display determination in pursuing the records through the courts.
