DOJ and Trump each propose 2 special masters for Mar-a-Lago probe
Cannon has said she’ll decide “exact details and mechanics” of the special master process “expeditiously” after both sides submit their proposals, but it’s not clear when the judge will rule or what form that ruling will take.
Here are the four people nominated in the dueling proposals to serve as special master:
Thomas Griffith, DOJ nominee
Barbara Jones, DOJ nominee
Barbara Jones, another retired federal judge and a Clinton appointee, is a former federal prosecutor and a retired judge from the Southern District of New York from 1995 to 2012. She brings a lot of special master experience to the table, having recently served in that position for three high-profile criminal investigations with political implications.
Paul Huck Jr., Trump nominee
Huck, who has his own law firm, had been a partner at the Jones Day law firm, which represented the Trump campaign in 2016, and a contributor to the conservative legal organization the Federalist Society.
Huck also previously served as the deputy attorney general for Florida and as general counsel to former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist — who was a Republican at the time but served as a Democratic member of the US House and is the Democratic nominee for governor in Florida. Chris Kise, Trump’s current lawyer, also worked for Crist and overlapped with Huck. They worked together at the Florida attorney general’s office.
Huck’s wife, Barbara Lagoa, was on Trump’s short list as a Supreme Court nominee after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died.
Raymond Dearie, Trump nominee
Dearie, a Reagan nominee, has served as a federal judge in New York since 1986. He retired in 2011 and is now a senior judge on the circuit.
The Trump team’s nomination of Dearie is notable because Trump has repeatedly criticized the FISA surveillance and has claimed — without evidence — that it was part of a “deep state” conspiracy to undermine his campaign.
This headline has been updated.
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