Trump 'special master' suggestion: US Justice Department concedes

The US Department of Justice will accept the appointment of one of the judges suggested by Donald Trump as a “special master” in the probe of secret documents taken from the former president’s Florida home last month, it said Monday.

Later on Monday, the department announced in its own court filing that, in addition to its own nominees, it would support the appointment of Judge Raymond Dearie from the Eastern District of New York, who was suggested by Trump.

Justice department officials stated they would accept any of the three due to their "prior federal judicial expertise and interest in relevant areas of law," and they initially recommended retired federal judges Barbara Jones and Thomas Griffith.

The filing also pointed out that the department "respectfully opposes the appointment of Paul Huck Jr.," the second candidate on the Trump team, a Florida federal judge "who does not appear to have similar experience."

Trump's legal team did not include the reason for Jones and Griffith's rejection on its filing, saying, "It is more respectful of candidates from both parties to withhold from the public the grounds for opposition, and it will likely be widely pleaded."

It is now up to Cannon to decide whether to name 78-year-old Dearie for the case.

Government attorneys earlier denied Trump's special master's request altogether, arguing that an independent review for privileged material could compromise national security and was also unnecessary because a team had already conducted a review.

In addition to examining the documents, Trump faces investigations into his business practices in New York, as well as a legal scrutiny of his actions to overturn the results of the 2020 election and a January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters.

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