Trump lawyer claims Mueller illegally acquired transition emails

Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A lawyer for President Trump's transition team has accused special counsel Robert Mueller of illegally obtaining thousands of emails related to Trump's transition into the White House.

Arizona-based attorney Kory Langhofer claims Mueller's acquisition of the emails violated attorney-client privilege and the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.

Mueller is currently leading the investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government during the election. Mueller and his team acquired thousands of emails sent and received by members of the Trump for America transition group from the General Services Administration, the agency charged with safekeeping all transition materials.

Langhofer detailed his claims in a seven-page letter sent to Congressional oversight committees over the weekend.

In the letter, Langhofer says GSA staff "unlawfully produced TFA's private materials, including privileged communications, to the special counsel's office."

The emails were not GSA's to give away, according to Langhofer.

"When we have obtained emails in the course of our ongoing criminal investigation, we have secured either the account owner's consent or appropriate criminal process," said Peter Carr, a lawyer with the Mueller investigation.

A number of Trump allies and surrogates have offered criticism of Mueller in recent weeks, but White House attorney Ty Cobb says there are no plans to fire the lead investigator.

"As the White House has repeatedly and emphatically said for months, there is no consideration at the White House of terminating the special counsel," Cobb told Politico.