NEW YORK — The special master reviewing Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago papers signaled Tuesday that he wants to carry out a limited review, and pressed the former president’s lawyers for refusing to take a position on whether Trump declassified any of the documents.
“My view is you can’t have your cake and eat it,” Judge Raymond Dearie told Trump’s lawyers at a hearing in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Trump has said he declassified sensitive documents before taking them to his Palm Beach, Florida, estate following his presidency. But Trump’s lawyer Jim Trusty maintains he should not be required to show which documents were declassified, as that would tip the former president’s hand on his defense strategy should he face criminal charges.
