Trump likes headlines. So, he made one with a boneheaded threat which is typical Trump.
This is far more important as far as Trump is concerned.
Trump's federal judge who is in the process of interfering in the DOJ investigation of national security matters has approved the special master and is effectively slowing down the investigation of Trump's theft of classified documents.
The
Times reports, "A federal judge on Thursday rejected the Justice Department’s request to resume a key part of its inquiry into former President Donald J. Trump’s handling of sensitive government records and appointed an outside arbiter to review thousands of documents seized last month from his Florida residence.
"The judge, Aileen M. Cannon, declined to lift any part of
an order she issued last week that barred the department from using the documents, including about 100 marked classified, in its investigation until the arbiter, known as a special master, had completed a review.
"In her 10-page decision, Judge Cannon appointed a special master suggested by the Trump legal team and agreed upon by the government: Raymond J. Dearie, a semiretired judge from the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
"Judge Dearie will now have the authority to sift through more than
11,000 records the F.B.I. carted away from Mr. Trump’s estate, Mar-a-Lago, on Aug. 8. The move was a blow to the Justice Department, almost certain to significantly delay its investigation into whether the former president unlawfully retained national defense records or obstructed repeated attempts by federal officials to retrieve them."
In her order, Trump appointed Judge Cannon took pains to describe herself as mindful of the traditional reluctance of the judicial branch to intrude on executive authority in national security matters.
Then she did exactly that.
The
Times continued, "She said that Judge Dearie should first look at the classified documents and “thereafter consider prompt adjustments to the court’s orders as necessary.” That raised the possibility that Judge Dearie might quickly clear the items and the F.B.I. would then regain unrestricted use of them in its criminal inquiry. In her order,
Judge Cannon said the special master should try to finish his review by Nov. 30.
She did exactly what Trump's lawyers wanted her to do. The November mid-terms take place on November 8th.
However, her effectiveness in slowing things down has been marginalized by two important factors. The DOJ had possession of the classified documents for over three weeks before the judge's initial order. Also, as a matter of policy, the DOJ does not make any significant pronouncements within the 60 days before a general election.
www.nzherald.co.nz
