My guess is a 5th amendment protection against self-incrimination.
The Special Master is asking for President Trump to "provide details about Trump’s claim to have “declassified” documents that were seized during the FBI in the search of Mar-a-Lago." Any details that President Trump divulges will be used against him in a future indictment.
The Trump team wants the DoJ to build its case against Trump independently without President Trump leaving breadcrumbs for them to follow. They want the DoJ to prove that President Trump illegally possessed those documents. Do they have proof that those documents were still classified?
I know this sounds like the government is in the position of having to prove a negative, that the documents were not declassified, but the burden is on them to make the case that President Trump that he's guilty, not on President Trump to prove that he's innocent.
Therefore, the so-called Trump Team is holding their cards close to their vest and waiting for an indictment before revealing their facts. I'd think they believe they are forced to this extreme measure because the DoJ is compromised by bias and a perceived existential threat and Trump won't get a fair treatment with them.
-PJ
Yes but it kind of begs the question, what does the Trump team want the special matter to do?
If they want the Master to return the documents, or deny the government’s use of them, they will have to make some kind of showing.
Maybe they just want attorney or executive privileged documents back.
Probably the Master’s work will be done quickly.
Thank you!