Trump demands taxpayers pay for special master to wade through Mar-a-Lago documents

Government insists former president covers costs as he requested special master

The Department of Justice wants Donald Trump to pay for the special master assigned to review the documents seized during the FBI’s search of his Palm Beach home, but the former president insists that the American taxpayer should cover half the costs.

On Monday, Trump-appointed District Court Judge Aileen Cannon ordered that a special master be appointed to review materials confiscated during the search of Mar-a-Lago, pausing the investigation of the former president under the Espionage Act.

The Justice Department countered on Thursday in a motion that asked for access to only the classified documents found by authorities at the Florida property, adding that the special master can review everything else seized.

Then on Friday, both sides submitted a joint filing covering areas of agreement and disagreement, including nominees to be special master and who will compensate the individual for their time.

A clause in the motion states: “Plaintiff [Donald Trump] proposes to split evenly the professional fees and expenses of the Special Master and any professionals, support staff, and expert consultants engaged at the Master’s request.”

It continues: “The Government’s position is that, as the party requesting the special master, Plaintiff should bear the additional expense of the Special Master’s work.”

Each side also proposed two nominees for the position, with the government proposing the Honorable Barbara Jones, a retired judge of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, and a partner in Bracewell LLP; and the Honorable Thomas B Griffith, a retired circuit judge of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, special counsel in Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, and a lecturer at Harvard Law School.

The Trump team’s candidates are the Honorable Raymond J Dearie, a former chief judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, who served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and formerly the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York; and Paul Huck Jr, founder of The Huck Law Firm, former Jones Day partner, former general counsel to the governor, former deputy attorney general for the State of Florida.