The US Department of Justice made a step toward an agreement with Former President Donald Trump’s legal team on Monday noting in its court filing that the retired US District Court Judge Raymond Dearie, one of the special master nominees proposed by Trump’s team, is acceptable to them.
The DOJ cited in its filing that Dearies’ previous federal judicial experience and engagement in relevant areas of law are important qualifications for the position he was nominated for.
DOJ opposed Trump’s other nominee, former deputy AG Florida and general counsel to former Gov. Charlie Crist, Paul Huck Jr. because he did not have relevant experience.
That clears the way for Dearie, a New York-based appointee of President Ronald Reagan, to be appointed by the US District Court Judge Aileen Cannon – though she still has discretion over whom to select – as an outside expert to oversee a review of records FBI seized last month.
Records were taken from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as part of a criminal investigation into the alleged unauthorized retention of national security secrets.
Judge Cannon will also consider DOJ’s candidates Barbara Jones, a former US district judge for the Southern District of New York, and Thomas Griffith, a former federal judge for the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which have, according to DOJ, substantial judicial experience presiding over federal criminal and civil cases, including federal cases involving national security and privilege concerns.
Trump’s legal team, on the other hand, objected to the DOJ’s two candidates for special master in a separate filing Monday, without explaining the opposition in detail.
They remain at odds with the DOJ’s prosecutors over a number of other issues, including whether a special master should review about 100 classified documents that the FBI recovered during the raid.
They also urged Judge Cannon to reject DOJ’s demand for her to lift the restriction on prosecutors reviewing the highly sensitive government records.
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