Donald Trump demanded more details from the Justice Department about what the FBI seized from Mar-a-Lago.
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On Thursday, the DOJ appealed the decision to appoint a special master in their Trump probe.
The Special Master would have to review thousands of docs to determine executive and attorney-client privilege.
Some private citizens have written directly to the presiding Florida judge to offer their services.
Private citizens are eager to become a special master and help review top secret government documents that former President Donald Trump stashed at Mar-a-Lago, according to court documents.
The Department of Justice’s probe into Donald Trump took another twist on Thursday after the Department of Justice appealed a federal judge’s decision to appoint a special master to review specific classified files.
For one, if a special master is indeed chosen, he or she would have to have the highest national security clearance level in the US. Ultimately, judges appoint special masters based on their expertise, so in this case, the special master would have to be deeply embedded in the national security realm.
“The universe of people who have the high-level clearances, but also have expertise in areas of executive privilege and attorney-client privilege is small,” Larry Pfeiffer, a national security expert who runs the Hayden Center at George Mason University and formerly ran the White House Situation room told Insider.
But that hasn’t stopped some from shooting their shot.
“I am an apolitical attorney in Kansas,” one person wrote. “My only goal is to help you reach a just decision under the law.”
The attorney claimed to have experience handling privileged documents and closed the offer by saying, “I know this is a longshot.”
A second person was confident in their letter to the judge. “I’m not quite sure what the job specifications are for such an assignment (although I’m sure they are publicly available via a FOIA request) but I would like to offer my services for this task.”
“I’m only a retired businessman with an amateur’s interest in history, politics, and the law but I promise I would perform the task to the best of my abilities,” the writer added. “Of course I wouldn’t expect to be paid. Please tell me how I can help. Where should I send my resume for this job.”
Trump’s case and the move to appoint a special master opened an unprecedented Pandora’s box of concerns for national security experts, who worry that the search for a qualified expert could drag on.
“PS–I do have a connection to your Southern District of Florida as both of my parents are buried there,” the second volunteer wrote, adding that they had “fond memories” of Florida. “Does that detail add anything to my application for that “special master” job. I hope so.”
Bloomberg News reporter Zoe Tillman originally shared the pitches Friday, posting the qualifications the hopeful contenders presented to the judge.
—Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) September 9, 2022