Trump and DOJ Make Special Master Proposals in Mar-a-Lago Probe

Donald Trump’s legal team and federal prosecutors both proposed their choice of a special master to arbitrate investigations into classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago – but the two sides were at odds over the candidates’ roles.

The former president and administration submitted their proposals Friday night before a midnight deadline in federal court in West Palm Beach, Fla.

The FBI slammed former Manhattan Judge Hon. Barbara Jones or retired Washington, DC Judge Thomas Griffith for playing the independent third party’s role in examining top-secret documents, court documents show.

Jones had previously served as a special foreman in federal investigations into Trump associates Rudy Giuliani and Michael Cohen.

Trump asked for former US Attorney and Judge Hon. Raymond Dearie or Paul Huck, Jr., a former Florida Assistant Attorney General.

The former president’s team asked the special master to review all documents taken from the resort, including those with secret markings, to “assess potential claims to executive privileges.” Trump’s team said they don’t think the arbiter should consult with the National Archives and Records Administration.

The government told the court it did not want the special master to review classified documents or “judgment on claims for executive privileges,” but argued that the independent third party should consult with NARA on determining the repository of records.

The Feds also want Trump to pay for the special master and have asked for the referee’s review to be completed by mid-October. Trump’s team requested 90 days for the review to be completed.

Lawyers on both sides will now meet to “resolve the outstanding issues in the proposed proceeding
Appointment Orders,” reads the brief filed by US Attorney Juan Gonzales.

The update came after Trump won an early victory in the lawsuit against the government earlier this week when a judge granted him the right to a third party in the case, amid his arguments that the Feds would “challenge, leak and publicize select aspects.” their investigation.”

That decision by Trump-appointed US District Judge Aileen Cannon halted the Justice Department’s ability to search the documents, many of which were obtained in an Aug. 8 raid on Trump’s Palm Beach resort.

Some of the files seized were so classified that FBI counterintelligence personnel and Justice Department attorneys were not authorized to see them.