-
Trump’s lawyers run into a roadblock with Special Master Raymond Dearie.
-
Dearie asked Trump’s team to hand over specific information about files he claims to have released.
-
His team now claims that doing so would jeopardize Trump’s defense against later charges.
Former President Donald Trump’s legal team is confused with Raymond Dearie, the special master Trump has requested.
Central to the most recent issue is a series of top-secret materials seized during the FBI’s August 8 raid on Mar-a-Lago. Trump claims he released everything the FBI found. Dearie asks that Trump’s team hand over specific information about whether or not to release files.
In a Sept. 19 filing, Trump’s team appealed Dearie’s request to avoid revealing details about the top-secret materials.
Trump’s attorneys claim there is a “time and place” for Trump to “disclose specific information related to declassification to the Court and administration,” according to the filing. They ask that Dearie not require his team to hand over information about whether or not documents have been released.
Trump’s lawyers argue that handing over these documents would force Trump to “fully and specifically disclose a defense” he could attempt to mount to fight any “next indictment.”
The former president’s attorneys also question Dearie’s proposed deadlines, arguing that his draft plan “compresses the entire inspection and labeling process to be completed by Oct. 7, 2022.”
“We respectfully suggest that all deadlines may be extended to allow for a more realistic and complete assessment of the areas of disagreement,” Trump’s attorneys wrote in the filing.
Dearie has until November 30 to review the documents seized by the FBI. During the Mar-a-Lago raid, the agency seized 11 sets of classified documents, including some marked “top secret”. The DOJ is investigating whether Trump has violated any of three federal laws — including the Espionage Act — by keeping the documents at his Florida residence.
Last week, the DOJ appealed Judge Aileen Cannon’s initial decision to appoint a special captain for the case. The DOJ has also requested a partial suspension of Cannon’s decision on classified documents as it prepares a formal appeal, which could lead to the case dragging on and making its way to the Supreme Court.
Dearie, 78, is a former Chief Justice of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He was appointed, at Trump’s request, as an independent third-party investigator in Trump’s legal battle with the FBI over documents seized in the Mar-a-Lago office raid. Trump bears the bill for the costs of appointing the special captain.
Trump is represented by counsel at Ifrah Law — attorneys James Trusty, Christopher Kise, Lindsey Halligan and Evan Corcoran.
Read the original article on Business Insider
