Federal Judge Aileen Cannon also granted the newly appointed special master, Raymond Dearie, access to the entire tranche of documents seized from the estate, even though the department had said the arbitrator should not be allowed to inspect the batch of classified records . The Justice Department had promised to take the case to an appeals court if Cannon ruled against their request. They also tried to block the independent arbitrator, Dearie, from reviewing about 100 classified documents included among the 11,000 files gathered in the Aug. 8 court-authorized search, including some marked “top secret.” “The court does not see fit to accept the government’s conclusions on these important and contested issues without further review by a neutral third party in an expeditious and orderly manner,” Cannon wrote Thursday. A Justice Department spokesman and Trump’s lawyers did not immediately return requests for comment.
The Justice Department has ordered a halt to the Trump investigation
The selection of Dearie, a former federal prosecutor who for years served as chief judge of the federal court based in Brooklyn, New York, came after both the Justice Department and Trump’s lawyers made it clear they would be satisfied with his appointment as it is called a special master. WATCHES | Judge Grants Trump’s Request for Expert to Review Seized Documents:
Judge grants Trump’s request for expert to review seized documents
A federal judge has granted former US President Donald Trump’s request for a special master to review documents seized by the FBI from his Mar-a-Lago, Florida home.
In that role, Dearie will be responsible for reviewing documents obtained during the Mar-a-Lago investigation and separating those that may be covered by claims of privilege. It’s unclear how long the work will take, but the special master proceeding has already delayed the investigation, with Cannon ordering the Justice Department to temporarily halt key aspects of the investigation.
The Justice Department argued that Deary’s appointment was unnecessary, saying it had already conducted its own review and Trump did not have the right to assert executive privilege that typically allows the president to withhold certain information from the public and Congress.
Cannon, a Trump appointee, said Thursday that she would instruct Dearie to prioritize reviewing classified records first. It also asked him to complete the inspection of all seized materials by November 30.
The Justice Department is investigating the accumulation of top-secret material and other classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after he leaves office in January 2021.
The department is also looking into possible obstruction of justice after finding evidence that records may have been removed or hidden by the FBI when it sent agents to Mar-a-Lago in June to try to retrieve all classified documents through a grand jury subpoena. .
This image contained in an Aug. 30 court filing by the Justice Department, and partially redacted by the source, shows a photo of documents seized during the Aug. 8 FBI search of Trump’s Florida estate. (Department of Justice via Associated Press)
Investigations ongoing
Cannon, a Trump appointee, disagreed and asked both sides to name potential candidates for the role. He also ordered the Justice Department to stop reviewing the documents for investigative purposes until “further court order” or until the special master completes his review. The Trump team recommended either Dearie or a Florida attorney for the job. The Justice Department said that, in addition to the two retired judges whose names it submitted, it would settle for a Dearie appointment. Donald Trump, then US president, speaks during the Medal of Honor Ceremony in the East Room of the White House in 2019. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press) Dearie served as the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York from 1982 to 1986, when he was appointed to the federal bench by then-President Ronald Reagan. He has also served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which authorizes wiretapping requests by the Justice Department in investigations involving suspected agents of a foreign power. He assumed senior official status in 2011, but the Justice Department said he remains active and had indicated to officials that he was available for the position and could work quickly if appointed to it. The probe into the documents is one of several federal and state probes facing Trump as he considers another run for the presidency in 2024.
