In a joint filing Friday night, the U.S. Justice Department told U.S. District Judge Ellen Cannon that Trump’s legal team insists the special master should be allowed to review “all seized materials, including classified documents.” . Trump’s lawyers also want the special master, an independent third party, to review the records for possible claims of executive privilege — an order the department opposes. Both sides have also proposed two different sets of potential candidates for the position, though they said they plan to inform the court of their views on the other’s shortlist by Monday.
Each side nominates 2 candidates
The Justice Department said it is recommending two candidates for special master: retired Judge Barbara Jones, who previously served as a special master in cases involving two of Trump’s former lawyers, or retired Judge Thomas Griffiths. Trump’s team, meanwhile, nominated former judge Raymond Deary and Paul Hack, a former deputy attorney general of Florida. The filing came after Cannon, a Trump appointee in Fort Pierce, Florida, ordered the appointment of a special arbitrator on Monday, granting Trump’s request. After the Justice Department warned late Thursday that doing so could slow the government’s effort to determine whether classified documents are still missing, Cannon said in a court filing that she was willing to consider limiting the special master’s role so that the individual not to review classified documents. Trump is under investigation for keeping government records, some classified as top secret, at his Palm Beach home after he leaves office in January 2021. The administration is also investigating possible obstruction of justice.
