Lawyers for former President Donald Trump and the New York attorney general’s office have both proposed that retired Judge Barbara Jones serve as a watchdog to oversee the Trump Organization’s financial statements.
Lawyers for both camps had until Thursday to file their nominations for who should serve as monitor after Judge Arthur Engoron granted the New York attorney general’s request for a monitor to block the Trump Organization continue to engage in alleged fraudulent practices.
In separate filings, both legal teams nominated Jones, who has served as a special master overseeing privileged review of materials obtained through FBI search warrants in high-profile investigations including Michael Cohen and Rudy Giuliani.
The corresponding motion could speed up the judge’s decision and comes as Trump continues to appeal the order authorizing the surveillance.
A New York appeals court judge on Wednesday rejected Trump’s request to stay the order so a monitor could be put into operation this month. The judge set a fast-track schedule for a full hearing of judges to hear the appeal with an update expected later this month.
The attorney general’s office also nominated two other people to serve as monitor: Aaron Marcu, a former federal prosecutor who as a defense attorney has represented financial institutions and served as a corporate monitor, and Frances McLeod, a compliance specialist who currently serves as monitor in two issues of the Ministry of Justice.
In addition to Jones, Trump’s lawyer also nominated Kelly Donovan of KPMG, the global accounting firm. Donovan previously worked in the New York attorney general’s office as an executive deputy attorney general for criminal justice, where she oversaw numerous investigations.
Each side has until next week to object to the other’s choices.
