A US judge refused on Thursday to allow the Department of Justice to resume reviewing classified documents seized by the FBI from the Florida estate of former president Donald Trump as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
In addition, Federal Judge Aileen Cannon appointed Senior District Judge Raymond Dearie of New York as a third party to review the seized documents for privileged information that should be withheld from federal investigators.
Mr. Dearie will be responsible for reviewing the documents seized during the raid on Mar-a-Lago in August and separating those that may be subject to claims of privilege.
It is unclear how long this will take, but the special master process has already slowed down the investigation, with a Florida judge ordering the Justice Department to temporarily halt key aspects.
After Mr. Trump left office, the Justice Department is investigating the storage of top-secret materials and other classified documents at the Florida property.
During its search of the residence, the FBI discovered over 11,000 documents, including more than 100 with classification markings.
The Trump team suggested Mr. Dearie or a Florida attorney for the position. In addition to the two retired judges whose names it submitted, the Justice Department stated that it would also be satisfied with Mr. Dearie’s appointment.
Mr. Dearie was the chief federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York from 1982 to 1986 when then-president Ronald Reagan appointed him to the federal bench.
In addition, he has served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which authorizes Justice Department wiretap requests in investigations involving suspected foreign agents.
