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Justice Department prosecutors said that they would not object to the appointment of Judge Raymond J. Dearie of the Federal District Court in Brooklyn as special master to review thousands of documents seized in the FBI’s Aug. 8 search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. The department had previously proposed that two retired federal judges—Barbara S. Jones of the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York, and Thomas B. Griffith of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit—serve as special master. Trump’s legal team countered their proposal by suggesting that Dearie be appointed to the position. In a court filing on Monday, the Justice Department said that Jones, Griffith, and Dearie were all qualified to be special master.
Chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), requested that the National Archives review all of the documents surrendered by former President Donald Trump after the FBI’s Aug. 8 search of his Mar-a-Lago residence. In her six page letter to the Archives, Maloney expressed doubt that government officials had accounted for the totality of classified documents allegedly in Trump’s possession, citing concerns about empty folders found at Mar-a-Lago.The manner in which these materials were stored, she said, indicates that “sensitive material may have been lost or obtained by third parties.”
The Justice Department issued 40 subpoenas to former President Trump’s aides and seized two phones in its investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election. According to the New York Times, Justice Department officials are seeking information about Trump’s plan to install fake presidential electors, as well as the fundraising activities of the Trump-affiliated Save America PAC.
Violent clashes along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border left 49 Armenian and 50 Azerbaijani soldiers dead on Tuesday. Both countries reported provocation from the opposition. The recent violence has stoked fears of reignited conflict between the two countries in the Nagorno-Karabakh territory, and marks the deadliest fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan since 2020. Russia, an ally of Armenia, currently has peacekeeping troops in the region, but analysts suspect that Russian personnel are “distracted as never before after the collapse of the Kharkiv front” in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, assured of Putin’s efforts toward deescalation between the two countries. The United States, Turkey, and the European Council have all urged for a ceasefire and diplomatic resolution.
Nuclear deal negotiations between the EU and Iran have stagnated following Iran’s latest response on Thursday. U.S. officials reported that Tehran’s response to the EU’s proposed negotiations were “not constructive.” Since August, Iran and the U.S. have been negotiating a nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
ICYMI: Yesterday on Lawfare
Hyemin Han shared Trump’s response to the Justice Department’s motion for partial stay of U.S District Judge Aileen Cannon's order enjoining the government from using the materials seized at Mar-a-Lago for criminal investigative purposes.
Elizabeth Lee, Jonathan Schroden, and Heather Wolters discussed how to adapt special operations forces leadership styles to better meet the needs of younger generations within the forces.
Daniel Richman reviewed Michelle Wilde Anderson’s new book, “The Fight to Save the Town: Reimagining Discarded America” Simon & Schuster, 2022).
Jen Patja Howell shared an episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which David Priess sat down with Erin Sikorsky to discuss the impact of the floods in Pakistan on Pakistani military relief, security services, and climate change response.
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