I know I just sent chicken pictures, but this video is too good to keep to myself! I turned my back for one moment while we were outside having coffee this morning, and next thing I know, my husband, Bob, is sharing TikTok videos with Pickles. This seems like an omen, but I’m not certain of what.
If you want a spot of “light” reading this weekend, here’s a link to the hearing transcript from Thursday, where Trump lawyers maintained the former president was entitled to have a special master review all of the documents DOJ seized during the lawfully authorized search of Mar-a-Lago before they could make use of them: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22274704-trumphearingtranscript
The argument, legally speaking, is a non-starter, but the judge’s comments suggest she may be seeking a Solomonic path to judgment, splitting the baby in hopes both parties walk away with something to make them happy. Hopefully, after reviewing the briefs and the arguments, she’ll decide to stick to the law.
We’re still waiting on her final ruling, so this is a good time to skim the transcript, which will enhance your first-hand understanding of the ruling when it comes out. It is, of course, likely to be controversial.
Team Trump abandoned the twice-impeached, former president’s early claim that the FBI planted documents at Mar-a-Lago. They now acknowledge the obvious, that Trump had the materials all along. The new-ish, at least in this lawsuit, nonchalant excuse that this is what happens when you “pack up in a hurry” is ludicrous, both because Trump had plenty of time and staff to pack for him and because everyone involved knows what the big, unmistakable classification stamp on the front cover of a document means.
Once the judge rules, one interesting question will be whether either party takes an appeal, which would likely have the effect of slowing things down. Delay, of course, is a time-honored Trump strategy in litigation. We can only hope the Court of Appeals will see through things and be inclined to dispense justice expeditiously if the case goes this route. But this does set up an interesting situation if DOJ is the aggrieved party: they might decide to accede to an unnecessary special master process, if there are guarantees it will move quickly and avoid a delay of months on appeal. That sort of call would depend on a number of things, including how bad of a precedent Judge Cannon’s ruling would create for future cases. But it’s something I’ll be looking for once she rules.
Enjoy your weekend!
We’re in this together,
Joyce
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