WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2022) Lawyers representing former US President Donald Trump and government attorneys from the Justice Department met for the first time with court-appointed Special Master Raymond Dearie, who will review evidence from the FBI's raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, Law and Crime reported on Tuesday.
The appointment of a special master emerged from a court battle between Trump and the Biden administration over the FBI's raid of Mar-a-Lago, during which they purported to have seized material labeled classified. Trump has denied the claims and condemned the raid as a weaponization of the US justice system against him.
Lead Trump lawyer James Trusty spoke with Dearie during the hearing about the Trump team's claims that the seized materials were declassified by the former president. Dearie requested more detailed arguments from the lawyers about the documents' declassification, arguing that the classified labelings purported by the government are "prima facie evidence" of their sensitive nature.
"As far as I'm concerned, that's the end of it," Dearie reportedly said in regards to the classified labeling of seized materials.
Dearie was appointed by US District Judge Aileen Cannon to review the case, with the review expected to be completed some time after Thanksgiving. However, Trump's attorneys have asked Dearie to extend the review's deadline, according to the report.
The Justice Department has a pending appeal in Federal court to block the disclosure of the classified documents for review, citing concerns about the efficacy of their investigation. The department will explore other appellate options should the court deny their stay, National Security Division official Julie Edelstein also reportedly said during the hearing.
Trusty during the hearing noted that he maintains a Top Secret clearance typically needed to view highly classified materials, the report added.
Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago for the first time since the raid on Monday, following which he said the residence "will never be the same place." Trump also accused the Biden administration of violating the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution during the raid, which guarantees a right to privacy and protects against undue search and seizure.
