Once Trump’s lawyers had suggested Huck and Dearie and the DOJ had said “We’re fine with Dearie actually!”, saying “I think it should be Huck!” would have been beyond the pale.
FBI Search and Seizure at Trump's Mar-A-Lago Residence, August 8, 2022, Case Dismissed July 15, 2024
That must be true, the floor is exactly where the documents were found.
Here’s an accounting of the special master from one journo who was there (Josh Gerstein) and another who dialed in (Kyle Cheney).
I’ll quote part of it because it reiterates what I’ve been saying.
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.
I assume that when the DOJ sent the special master the documents that they seized, they also included the results of their taint teams analysis. I suspect that in the end Dearie may to a large extent just rubber stamp their conclusions.
Watching MSNBC, and they relayed reporting (from Axios, I think) that the Trump team was making a bet that Dearie might be predisposed to mistrust the FBI because he had been misled on the FISA warrant application.
The pundits present had a joint chuckle, saying that Dearie is a “Judge’s Judge,” extremely well respected, sensible, knows how to run a court, etc.
My paraphrase, but they basically said if that was their bet, it was idiotic.
Thanks for that update. As I said, Trump is always advised by “the best people”. *
* I guess it’s just a coincidence that many of them are so terrific that they have been, are, or will be, in prison.
Especially since he wasn’t misled on the FISA court.
Don’t do that. The FBI put the papers on the floor for a dramatic effect. All it showed was the extent (large) of the classified files present.
From Wolfpup’s post 2242, It’s not “an allegation by the media”, … it’s an FBI forensic photograph taken as evidence."
This is innacurate - they put the documents on the floor next to the container they were found in - for context as well as chain of custody concerns.
Agreed.
It’s standard when law enforcement seizes anything from anyone to get photographs of everything they are taking. Prevents stuff from disappearing on the way to the cop shop among other reasons.
Axios has a theory:
“Lawyers and advisers to the former president believe Dearie’s role on the secretive court that approved controversial warrants used to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page in 2016 and 2017 made Dearie a deep skeptic of the FBI.”
https://www.axios.com/2022/09/18/trump-special-master-dearie-fbi-skeptic
(I did not see Stratocaster’s post!)
Dearie has until 30 November to finish his review. But nothing compels him to take that long, right? He could close up shop tomorrow and tell the judge Trump has no argument and the DOJ should be allowed to proceed with everything they have. Yes?
According to reporting, Dearie proposes a 4-week schedule.
True.
However, the judge has no obligation to listen to Dearie and she built the right to dismiss him for any reason at any time into his appointment.
Did she build in the right to dismiss his findings/recommendations, appoint someone else, and tell them to start over?
I don’t think there’s anything stopping her from doing that.
She could also just ignore whatever he says and make her own decisions on questions of privilege, or possessory interest, or whatever.
The special master is just an advisor to the judge. She is not required to take his advice.
That’s why I think what the Special Master says or does has little bearing on the case.
What the 11th Circuit does, though, that I consider to be a big deal.
Me, too. That’s what I’m keeping my eye on.
It should not take longer than two days to figure out what is Trumps, and what is not.
Sorry if I’ve fallen behind (I have looked). How the hell did Cannon get involved in this in the first place?