Cannon, who was nominated by Trump in 2020, also rejected the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) bid to revive its criminal investigation into classified documents seized during the unprecedented raid at Mar-a-Lago last month. The matter is expected to move quickly to an appeals court, and potentially the U.S. Supreme Court.
Special Master Duties
As part of his review of all the seized materials, Dearie is tasked with verifying that the property identified in the “Detailed Property Inventory” represents the “full and accurate extent” of the property seized, which may include obtaining sworn affidavits from DOJ personnel, according to court documents.Dearie is also tasked with conducting a privilege review of the seized documents and making recommendations to the court about any disputes between the parties. He is furthermore assigned to identify personal documents and items, as well as presidential records, and make recommendations to the court about any categorization disputes.
He will also evaluate any claims by Trump’s lawyers for the return of property under Rule 41(g) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, and carry out any additional duties assigned by the court pursuant to subsequent orders.
Trump and his lawyers have been critical of the DOJ’s opposition to the court appointing a special master to review documents seized by the FBI at Mar-a-Lago.
The DOJ previously argued that Trump lacked standing to ask for the appointment of a special master, as well as the return of property that was not within the scope of the search warrant and injunctive relief, because the records belong to the government and that the 45th president doesn’t have a valid claim to executive privilege because the DOJ is “within the executive branch.”
Trump has maintained he did no wrong in how he handled classified materials. He has repeatedly stated that, as president, he had a standing declassification order on materials that left the Oval Office and were taken to Mar-a-Lago.
The former Republican president has accused the FBI of targeting him for political reasons as he mulls running for president again in 2024.