Updated Sep 22, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Special master in Mar-a-Lago probe sets timeline to review documents

Erin Doherty

In this aerial view, former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate is seen on September 14, 2022 — Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The special master hired to sift through the documents seized from former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence has outlined his plan to review the materials.

Driving the news: Judge Raymond Dearie in a Thursday filing said Trump's lawyers have until the end of the month to "raise any factual dispute as to the completeness and accuracy of the Detailed Property Inventory" involving materials retrieved from the Florida property.

Trump’s lawyers must state whether they believe FBI agents actually lied about what was seized.
"For any document that Plaintiff designates as privileged and/or personal, Plaintiff shall include a brief statement explaining the basis for the designation," Dearie wrote.
The next conference on the matter is scheduled for Oct. 6, 2022. Both Trump and the DOJ must submit their "final and complete log of disputed designations" to Dearie by Oct. 21.
James Orenstein, a retired judge who served in the Eastern District of New York, will also assist in the special master's duties, per the filing.

Worth noting: On Wednesday, a federal appeals court panel granted the DOJ's request to resume reviewing classified documents for its ongoing criminal investigation.

In the ruling, the judges noted that there's no record of Trump declassifying documents while he was president despite his claims.
Trump insisted in a pre-recorded Fox News interview broadcast Wednesday night that he declassified government documents before taking them to his Mar-a-Lago residence.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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Special master in Mar-a-Lago probe sets timeline to review documents

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