Special Master Dearie Summons DOJ and Trump Lawyers to Brooklyn
A page from the order by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon naming Raymond Dearie as special master to serve as an independent arbiter and to review records seized in the FBI search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. (Jon Elswick/AP)
By Nicole Wells | Friday, 16 September 2022 07:25 PM EDT
Raymond Dearie, the special master in the Mar-a-Lago investigation, has summoned lawyers for the Department of Justice and former President Donald Trump to Brooklyn, New York, for a preliminary conference, Politico reports.
According to a Friday court filing, the attorneys are scheduled to appear at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Last month, Trump's lawyers had asked a judge to name a special master to do an independent review of the records seized in the FBI's search of the former president's Palm Beach, Florida, estate, Mar-a-Lago. Trump's attorneys also requested that any documents that may be covered by claims of executive privilege or attorney-client privilege be segregated.
DOJ argued that the appointment of a special master was unnecessary, as it had already conducted its own review, and Trump had no right to claim executive privilege, which normally permits the president to keep certain information from the public and Congress.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon disagreed with DOJ and directed both sides to name possible candidates for the job. The Trump appointee also ordered the Justice Department to pause its investigation until ''further Court order'' or until the special master completes his review.
Trump's legal team suggested either Dearie or a Florida lawyer for the position and DOJ said that, in addition to the two retired judges it recommended, Dearie would be an acceptable choice for it as well.
A top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York from 1982 to 1986, Dearie was appointed to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan. He has also served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which authorizes DOJ wiretap requests in investigations involving suspected foreign agents.
Federal agents removed 11,000 documents from Trump's Florida home and recovered more than 300 other classified documents that he took with him when he left office, prosecutors said.
Citing unsealed federal documents, the New York Post reports that the former president is under investigation for obstruction of justice and potentially violating the Espionage Act.