The Department of Justice (DOJ) and lawyers for former President Donald Trump have submitted competing proposals for who should serve as special master in the examination of classified documents that were retrieved from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in August.
In a joint legal filing published on Friday, a federal court judge that originally ruled in favor of a special master noted that the DOJ and Trump’s lawyers also had differing opinions on who should pay for the special master’s work. Trump’s legal team argued that the bill should be split evenly between the two parties, while the DOJ said Trump should have to pay for the expenses by himself, since he is the one requesting that a special master be appointed.
If both sides end up paying an equal amount for the costs associated with a special master’s work, taxpayers would foot half the billTrump demanded that the process be done and that it be completed. A judge is appointed by himWe agreed.
The filing listed names of the pitches from both sidesConcerning who should be the special master.
The DOJ appointed Barbara Jones, a former federal court judge for the Southern District of New York, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton. Thomas Griffith, an appointee of George W. Bush, was nominated. Griffith has ruled favorably in other Trump cases, but who is not currently on the DOJ’s list. also co-authored a report debunking the former president’s many lies about election fraudIn the 2020 presidential election.
Trump’s lawyers, meanwhile, nominated Raymond Dearie, a former federal judge on the Eastern Court of New York who was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan. Paul Huck Jr. was their second nominee. He was a former deputy attorney General in Florida and also served as general counsel for former Gov. Charlie Crist was a Republican at that time.
Huck, who’s he? a member of the right-wing Federalist SocietyPreviously worked for a law firm. that represented Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign. His wife, Barbara Lagoa is a Trump-appointed federal Judge currently serving on U.S. 11. Circuit Court of appeals. If there is an appeal regarding Huck’s actions during the special master process, it would go through the 11th Circuit, and Lagoa would likely have to recuse herself from being involved in the judgment.
According to reporting from Daily Kos, it’s also likely that Huck doesn’t have the security credentials necessaryto act as a special master in this case, which involves the examination and archiving of highly classified material Trump improperly kept at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
The DOJ submitted ideas to the special master and appealed Judge Aileen Connon’s ruling last Monday that a special master was required to review the documents.
Several scholars have condemned Cannon’s rulingIt noted that Trump had been given enormous leeway regarding executive privilege claims. This precedent only applies to the current president and not to previous presidents. In an appeal filed on Thursday, the DOJ stated that Trump “does not and could not assert that he owns or has any possessory interest in classified records” that he improperly took from the White House to his residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
