Trump Lawyers Oppose 'Declassification' Details for Special Master
During a hearing on Tuesday, the federal judge who was appointed "special master" to review the documents seized from Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence questioned the former president's lawyers over their reluctance to confirm whether the records are declassified, as Trump has claimed.
Facts
- During a hearing on Tuesday, the federal judge who was appointed "special master" to review the documents seized from Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence questioned the former president's lawyers over their reluctance to confirm whether the records are declassified, as Trump has claimed.
- This comes as on Monday, Trump's legal team expressed opposition to Judge Dearie's request to reveal information regarding the declassification of some documents, claiming it could compromise Trump's defense should he be indicted.
- Judge Dearie was appointed as special master last week by Judge Aileen Cannon following a request from Trump's attorneys, who argued that an independent arbiter was needed to review and separate documents subject to attorney-client privilege.
- Roughly 11K documents were seized on Aug. 8 by the FBI at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, including many marked with various levels of classification.
- Trump's legal team has repeatedly argued in court filings that he could've declassified the documents while in office, however, the team has yet to confirm that he actually did.
- While Judge Dearie didn't issue a ruling, he signaled that if Trump's lawyers don't prove that the documents are declassified, then he would determine them to be classified.
Sources: CNN, Newsweek, CBS, Washington Post, and Reuters.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by Politico. Trump's lawyers requested a 'special master review' and suggested Dearie for this role, but it's apparent that Dearie isn't going to be as favorable to Trump's cause as Cannon. The review might still be advantageous for Trump, but with Dearie on the case, there's some hope the former president will be held accountable.
- Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Breitbart. A potential criminal trial on the rightful return of Trump's personal property would be the right place to explain the declassification of the documents, not the special master review. Explaining these claims to the special master would compromise the Trump legal team's arguments and isn't required by the District Court's order.
