OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Some verified Twitter users went wild after news broke that former President Donald Trump had arrived by plane in Washington, D.C.
Speculation that he was turning himself in the federal authorities, among other conspiracy theories, ran rampant from people who should have known better.
YouTuber Andrew Leydon shared video he captured of the former president arriving in Washington DC on Sunday night and it did not take long for the video, and the wild conspiracies, to hit like a freight train.
“Here’s Donald Trump arriving unannounced tonight at Dulles outside DC. Nobody knows why. He’s in what appear to be white golf shoes and a golf shirt. Gets into a blacked-out SUV. Very, very interesting,” news anchor Ed Greenberger said.
Here’s Donald Trump arriving unannounced tonight at Dulles outside DC. Nobody knows why. He’s in what appear to be white golf shoes and a golf shirt. Gets into a blacked-out SUV.
Very, very interesting. pic.twitter.com/cxP9ohNWVr
— Ed Greenberger (@EdGreenberger) September 12, 2022
“Something weird is going on. No one – and I mean no one – knows why Donald has arrived in DC tonight, looking disheveled in golf clothes. It could be something totally inconsequential, but something tells me it’s not,” another verified Twitter user said.
“Someone just posited he found out FBI was going to search his DC club and flew over to be there? Who knows,” they said.
Someone just posited he found out FBI was going to search his DC club and flew over to be there? Who knows.
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) September 12, 2022
“I’d settle for a negotiated self-surrender to be arraigned. Probably too much to hope for,” NBC legal analyst Glenn Kirschner said.
I’d settle for a negotiated self-surrender to be arraigned. Probably too much to hope for. https://t.co/uFai2VSgSx
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) September 12, 2022
“Trump is in DC for: – Jared’s speech tomorrow – medical emergency – appearing before a grand jury – surrendering for arrest – retrieving or hiding TS docs at his MD and/or VA properties – obstruct justice by meeting w/someone appearing before a grand jury to bribe/threaten them,” Cheri Jacobus said.
Trump is in DC for:
– Jared's speech tomorrow
– medical emergency
– appearing before a grand jury
– surrendering for arrest
– retrieving or hiding TS docs at his MD and/or VA properties
– obstruct justice by meeting w/someone appearing before a grand jury to bribe/threaten them https://t.co/mJcyw15aJd— Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) September 12, 2022
There is no evidence that the former president was in DC for anything involving the government or anything to do with being indicted, but that did not matter to many.
It comes days after the Department of Justice and the attorneys for former President Donald Trump have given their suggestions as to who the special master should be in the case of the search of Mar-a-Lago, but the government wants more.
The Department of Justice wants the former president to pay for the special master in the case, but Trump has said that they should split the cost, Mediaite reported.
“Plaintiff 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 said in the filing.
“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,” it said.
Both parties also submitted their candidates for special master.
Government’s Proposed Candidates
The Honorable Barbara S. Jones (ret.) – retired judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, partner in Bracewell LLP, and special master in In re: in the Matter of Search Warrants Executed on April 28, 2021 and In the Matter of Search Warrants Executed on April 9, 2018.
The Honorable Thomas B. Griffith (ret.) – retired Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, special counsel in Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, and Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School.
Plaintiff’s Proposed Candidates
The Honorable Raymond J. Dearie (ret.) – former Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, formerly the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Paul Huck, Jr.—founder, The Huck Law Firm, former Jones Day partner, former General Counsel to the Governor, former Deputy Attorney General for the State of Florida.
The Department of Justice has decided to appeal the decision of the judge who appointed a special master to oversee the documents seized from former President Donald Trump’s private residence.
It also asked that asked Judge Aileen Cannon pause her order that blocked the Department of Justice from continuing to review the documents, NBC News reported.
The moves came three days after Cannon approved Trump’s request for a special master to sift through the seized materials to identify personal items and records that are protected by attorney-client privilege or executive privilege.
The DOJ had opposed that request, saying a team of agency officials had already completed a privilege review of the documents, and that a special master could harm the government’s national security interests.
In another court filing Thursday, the DOJ asked Cannon to make public a notice on the status of that team’s filter review process, which had been filed under seal on Aug. 30.
