DOJ needs more time to secure document-sorting vendor because none want to work for Donald Trump
The United States Department of Justice submitted a brief to United States District Judge Raymond Dearie – the special master in the ongoing saga of former President Donald Trump's hoard of top-secret documents at Mar-a-Lago – that it needs more time to procure a third-party vendor to digitize the materials.
"Plaintiff informed us this morning that none of the five document-review vendors proposed by the government before last Tuesday’s preliminary conference were willing to be engaged by Plaintiff," the Tuesday filing states. "Based on applicable procurement regulations, the government is not able to select and engage a vendor before tomorrow (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)."
It also reveals that "consistent with the Appointment Order, the government expects Plaintiff to pay the vendor’s invoices promptly when rendered."
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Additionally, the Justice Department maintains that even though Trump "makes three objections to the Amended Case Management Plan, the three objections are different" and that "all are without merit."
Trump, the DOJ continues, "brought this civil, equitable proceeding. He bears the burden of proof. If he wants the Special Master to make recommendations as to whether he is entitled to the relief he seeks, Plaintiff will need to participate in the process by categorizing documents and providing sworn declarations as the Amended Case Management Plan contemplates."
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