New York judge named as arbiter in Donald Trump records investigation

The FBI carried out a search at ex-president’s Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate (Steve Helber/AP)

A New York judge has been appointed to serve as an independent arbiter in the criminal investigation into the presence of classified documents at former US president Donald Trump’s Florida home.

In making the appointment, US District judge Aileen Cannon also refused to permit the Justice Department to resume its use of the highly sensitive records seized in an FBI search last month.