Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Trump's Handpicked Special Master Just Smacked Trump Down In First Hearing In Documents Case

Trump's Handpicked Special Master Just Smacked Trump Down In First Hearing In Documents Case
United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York; Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Raymond Dearie—former Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York who has been appointed to act as the special master and review documents seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in August—challenged Trump's lawyers during the first hearing in the case.

Dearie questioned Trump's lawyers for refusing to back up Trump's claim he declassified documents recovered from the residence.


He told them:

“My view of it is: you can’t have your cake and eat it."

Trump claimed the 11,000 documents the FBI recovered from Mar-a-Lago were rightfully in his possession, including about 100 with classified markings. But Dearie questioned the refusal on the part of Trump's lawyers to present proof showing this was the case.

Dearie was firm he would not allow Trump's "litigation strategy" to hamper his review or "to dictate the outcome of my recommendations." He also openly wondered what his role would be if the government says certain documents are classified and Trump’s side disagrees but doesn’t offer proof to support their claim.

He said:

”What am I looking for?....As far as I am concerned, that’s the end of it. What business is it of the court?”

Dearie was appointed to serve as the special master last week by Judge Aileen Cannon, who sits on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Dearie was appointed after Cannon rejected a Justice Department (DOJ) request to let federal prosecutors continue their review of classified documents.

Cannon ordered the special master review be completed by November 30. She stressed the importance of appointing "a neutral third party" to conduct the review "in an expedited and orderly fashion."

Dearie was the only candidate Trump's legal team and the DOJ could agree on. Trump had previously rejected all of the DOJ's picks and suggested the investigation is politically motivated.

That seemed to be the direction Trump's legal team were taking. James Trusty, one of Trump's attorneys, said Trump shouldn't have to mount a defense now when criminal charges have not yet been filed.

Trusty said:

“It’s not about gamesmanship. It’s about not having seen the documents. ... We are not in a position, nor should we be in a position at this juncture, to fully disclose a substantive defense."
“We shouldn’t have to be in a position to have to disclose declarations and witness statements.”

It was Trusty's statements that prompted Dearie to suggest Trump's legal team was trying to “have your cake and eat it."

Many concurred with Dearie's assessment.



Complicating matters for Trump is the fact he is on the hook for all legal fees regarding Dearie's review.

In her ruling last week, Judge Cannon said Trump would have to pay the full cost of the special master, handing the DOJ a major concession.

The news prompted many commentators to openly mock Trump, who for decades has avoided or flat out refused to pay his debts.

More from People/donald-trump

Kate Gosselin
Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Kate Gosselin Shares The 'Lasting Effects' Of Having Sextuplets On Her Body—And We Can Only Imagine

TLC programming was a major part of Millennial and Gen-X culture, particularly shows like Teen Mom, Catfish, Jon & Kate Plus 8, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

If you were ever curious for a closer glimpse of Kate Gosselin, mother of twins and then sextuplets, and her life, now is your chance!

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris presidential debate
CNN

Video Of Kamala Warning Trump About Putin's Agenda Goes Viral After Russian Drones Enter Polish Airspace

One year ago, pundits and the press were analyzing the performances of Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and former President and MAGA Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the first and only debate between the pair before the 2024 presidential election.

During that face-off, it was noted that Trump refused to answer if he wanted United States ally Ukraine to win the war Russia began by invading their neighbor.

Keep ReadingShow less
An 87-year-old Gramercy Park man and his wife fought off a pair of watch thieves in a scam gone wrong.
Eyewitness News ABC7NY/YouTube

87-Year-Old Foils Watch Thieves

Who needs another season of Mr. and Mrs. Smith when Gramercy Park’s own Larry Schwartz and Joanna Cuccia are already serving action-comedy gold? At 87, Schwartz casually knocks out 240 reps a day and chases off watch thieves as if it were just another warm-up set.

And Larry Schwartz wasn’t about to let some Rolex-swapping grifter make him the punchline of a TikTok crime wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Anna Wintour Reveals Her Honest Reaction To Seeing 'The Devil Wears Prada'—And It's Kind Of Iconic
Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images; 20th Century Fox

Anna Wintour Reveals Her Honest Reaction To Seeing 'The Devil Wears Prada'—And It's Kind Of Iconic

If you've ever wondered if legendary Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour has ever seen The Devil Wears Prada, the answer is yes, and she's finally shared her opinions on the film.

The movie, based on Lauren Weisberger's novel of the same name, centers around the trials and tribulations a young writer endures under a legendarily icy fashion editor named Miranda Priestley.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Colbert, and crowd giving standing ovation
CBS

Powerful Line From Sotomayor's Scathing Dissent After ICE Ruling Ignites Standing Ovation On 'Colbert'

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor received a standing ovation during her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after Colbert read a line from her powerful dissent following the Court's ruling that immigration agents can use racial profiling when conducting arrests.

The case was brought by several individuals detained during ICE raids. A federal district judge initially found the raids unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Keep ReadingShow less