Special master in Trump documents case described as fair and no-nonsense

They are arguing over access for criminal investigators to dozens of boxes of government documents, including highly classified US secrets, that the former president stashed at his Florida resort and residence after leaving the White House.

Dearie was one of two candidates for the post proposed by the former president, and the US justice department had said it would not oppose his appointment.

Investigators are currently blocked by Cannon from continuing to examine the material.

Other lawyers with experience of Dearie described him as thorough and even-handed.

Dearie has until 30 November, which falls after the midterm elections in early November, to finish the review. In less good news for Trump, he will be required to pay the costs associated with the special master.

The justice department also is looking into possible obstruction of the investigation after it found evidence that records may have been removed or concealed from the FBI when it sent agents to the property in June to try to recover all classified documents.

Dearie was appointed in 2011 to the foreign intelligence surveillance court, which reviews warrant applications from the US government on matters of national security, where he served until 2019.

In 2017, he was one of four federal judges who approved warrants used to surveil the former Trump campaign aide Carter Page amid concern about Trump campaign contacts with Russians, according to papers released to media outlets that sued for the records.