Protestors held a sign outside a federal courthouse in Brooklyn, the site of Special Master Raymond Dearie's hearing about classified documents on September 20, 2022. (Photo: Alex Kent/Getty Images)
Sep 20, 2022
The "special master" assigned to review materials seized from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate pushed back against attempts by the former president's legal team to avoid officially addressing his declassification claims in court on Tuesday.
The exchange came during Judge Raymond Dearie's first meeting with Trump's lawyers and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn.
The ex-president's attorneys had sought a special master and Trump-appointed, Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon granted that request--tasking Dearie with vetting the materials that federal agents took from the Florida estate last month while executing a search warrant.
While about 100 of the 11,000 records are marked as classified, Trump has publicly claimed--without providing any evidence--that he declassified all of those documents.
Summarizing the key takeaway from the hearing, the watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) tweeted that the special master "just said if Trump's lawyers don't officially counter whether the documents Trump took are classified, then Dearie will side with the DOJ."
\u201cTeam Trump now licking their wounds. Dearie seems poised to just say the 100 docs are classified, maybe w/o even looking at them, since they're so marked and Trump team gave zero evidence..\u201d— Harry Litman (@Harry Litman) 1663701612
Citing separate court filings by his attorneys Monday night and Tuesday, The New York Timesexplained that Trump "wants it both ways: He is arguing that he and his legal team should not have to state in a legal proceeding, where they could become subject to perjury charges or other penalties, that he declassified the documents, while also telling the courts that they should not accept the Justice Department's word that they remain classified."
Trump's attorneys wrote Monday that they didn't want Dearie to force their client to "fully and specifically disclose a defense to the merits of any subsequent indictment without such a requirement being evident in the district court's order."
The Washington Postnoted that line from the Monday filing was "a remarkable statement that acknowledges at least the possibility that the former president or his aides could be criminally charged."
During Tuesday's hearing, Dearie pressed "Trump's lawyers on what he's supposed to do," noting that "the government provided 'prima facie evidence' of classification, i.e., the markings," reported Law & Crime managing editor Adam Klasfeld.
Dearie told Trump attorney James Trusty, "As far as I'm concerned, that's the end of it."
\u201cTrusty explains the reasons why he doesn\u2019t want to disclose their position on declassification currently.\n\nDearie says he understands their right not to state it at this time, but: \u201cYou can\u2019t have your cake and eat it.\u201d\u201d— Adam Klasfeld (@Adam Klasfeld) 1663697039
Trusty argued to the judge that his team should not have to disclose declassification defenses at this time.
According to Klasfeld and Politico senior legal affairs reporter Josh Gerstein, Dearie responded that "you can't have your cake and eat it."
\u201cWow! Dearie is being a real judge!\u201d— Laurence Tribe (@Laurence Tribe) 1663699725
The hearing occurred despite the DOJ's ongoing appeal of Cannon's ruling--specifically, her decision about what materials Dearie should examine and her determination that the department can't use classified materials for its criminal investigation of Trump until the review is complete.
The Daily Beasthighlighted that "whether any of the records seized from Trump's home are classified may ultimately be a side issue. The Justice Department has emphasized that the three potential crimes it is investigating don't hinge on whether the material held at Mar-a-Lago was classified."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The "special master" assigned to review materials seized from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate pushed back against attempts by the former president's legal team to avoid officially addressing his declassification claims in court on Tuesday.
The exchange came during Judge Raymond Dearie's first meeting with Trump's lawyers and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn.
The ex-president's attorneys had sought a special master and Trump-appointed, Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon granted that request--tasking Dearie with vetting the materials that federal agents took from the Florida estate last month while executing a search warrant.
While about 100 of the 11,000 records are marked as classified, Trump has publicly claimed--without providing any evidence--that he declassified all of those documents.
Summarizing the key takeaway from the hearing, the watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) tweeted that the special master "just said if Trump's lawyers don't officially counter whether the documents Trump took are classified, then Dearie will side with the DOJ."
\u201cTeam Trump now licking their wounds. Dearie seems poised to just say the 100 docs are classified, maybe w/o even looking at them, since they're so marked and Trump team gave zero evidence..\u201d— Harry Litman (@Harry Litman) 1663701612
Citing separate court filings by his attorneys Monday night and Tuesday, The New York Timesexplained that Trump "wants it both ways: He is arguing that he and his legal team should not have to state in a legal proceeding, where they could become subject to perjury charges or other penalties, that he declassified the documents, while also telling the courts that they should not accept the Justice Department's word that they remain classified."
Trump's attorneys wrote Monday that they didn't want Dearie to force their client to "fully and specifically disclose a defense to the merits of any subsequent indictment without such a requirement being evident in the district court's order."
The Washington Postnoted that line from the Monday filing was "a remarkable statement that acknowledges at least the possibility that the former president or his aides could be criminally charged."
During Tuesday's hearing, Dearie pressed "Trump's lawyers on what he's supposed to do," noting that "the government provided 'prima facie evidence' of classification, i.e., the markings," reported Law & Crime managing editor Adam Klasfeld.
Dearie told Trump attorney James Trusty, "As far as I'm concerned, that's the end of it."
\u201cTrusty explains the reasons why he doesn\u2019t want to disclose their position on declassification currently.\n\nDearie says he understands their right not to state it at this time, but: \u201cYou can\u2019t have your cake and eat it.\u201d\u201d— Adam Klasfeld (@Adam Klasfeld) 1663697039
Trusty argued to the judge that his team should not have to disclose declassification defenses at this time.
According to Klasfeld and Politico senior legal affairs reporter Josh Gerstein, Dearie responded that "you can't have your cake and eat it."
\u201cWow! Dearie is being a real judge!\u201d— Laurence Tribe (@Laurence Tribe) 1663699725
The hearing occurred despite the DOJ's ongoing appeal of Cannon's ruling--specifically, her decision about what materials Dearie should examine and her determination that the department can't use classified materials for its criminal investigation of Trump until the review is complete.
The Daily Beasthighlighted that "whether any of the records seized from Trump's home are classified may ultimately be a side issue. The Justice Department has emphasized that the three potential crimes it is investigating don't hinge on whether the material held at Mar-a-Lago was classified."
The "special master" assigned to review materials seized from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate pushed back against attempts by the former president's legal team to avoid officially addressing his declassification claims in court on Tuesday.
The exchange came during Judge Raymond Dearie's first meeting with Trump's lawyers and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn.
The ex-president's attorneys had sought a special master and Trump-appointed, Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon granted that request--tasking Dearie with vetting the materials that federal agents took from the Florida estate last month while executing a search warrant.
While about 100 of the 11,000 records are marked as classified, Trump has publicly claimed--without providing any evidence--that he declassified all of those documents.
Summarizing the key takeaway from the hearing, the watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) tweeted that the special master "just said if Trump's lawyers don't officially counter whether the documents Trump took are classified, then Dearie will side with the DOJ."
\u201cTeam Trump now licking their wounds. Dearie seems poised to just say the 100 docs are classified, maybe w/o even looking at them, since they're so marked and Trump team gave zero evidence..\u201d— Harry Litman (@Harry Litman) 1663701612
Citing separate court filings by his attorneys Monday night and Tuesday, The New York Timesexplained that Trump "wants it both ways: He is arguing that he and his legal team should not have to state in a legal proceeding, where they could become subject to perjury charges or other penalties, that he declassified the documents, while also telling the courts that they should not accept the Justice Department's word that they remain classified."
Trump's attorneys wrote Monday that they didn't want Dearie to force their client to "fully and specifically disclose a defense to the merits of any subsequent indictment without such a requirement being evident in the district court's order."
The Washington Postnoted that line from the Monday filing was "a remarkable statement that acknowledges at least the possibility that the former president or his aides could be criminally charged."
During Tuesday's hearing, Dearie pressed "Trump's lawyers on what he's supposed to do," noting that "the government provided 'prima facie evidence' of classification, i.e., the markings," reported Law & Crime managing editor Adam Klasfeld.
Dearie told Trump attorney James Trusty, "As far as I'm concerned, that's the end of it."
\u201cTrusty explains the reasons why he doesn\u2019t want to disclose their position on declassification currently.\n\nDearie says he understands their right not to state it at this time, but: \u201cYou can\u2019t have your cake and eat it.\u201d\u201d— Adam Klasfeld (@Adam Klasfeld) 1663697039
Trusty argued to the judge that his team should not have to disclose declassification defenses at this time.
According to Klasfeld and Politico senior legal affairs reporter Josh Gerstein, Dearie responded that "you can't have your cake and eat it."
\u201cWow! Dearie is being a real judge!\u201d— Laurence Tribe (@Laurence Tribe) 1663699725
The hearing occurred despite the DOJ's ongoing appeal of Cannon's ruling--specifically, her decision about what materials Dearie should examine and her determination that the department can't use classified materials for its criminal investigation of Trump until the review is complete.
The Daily Beasthighlighted that "whether any of the records seized from Trump's home are classified may ultimately be a side issue. The Justice Department has emphasized that the three potential crimes it is investigating don't hinge on whether the material held at Mar-a-Lago was classified."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.