FILE PHOTO: Donald Trump departs Trump Tower two days after FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach home, in New York City, New York, U.S., August 10, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado//File Photo

A US judge on Thursday evening ordered the release of a redacted version of the affidavit that justified the search of ex-President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. It is to be made public before a federal court by Friday noon (local time). The court order was shared by a Politico reporter on Twitter Thursday night.

The order was issued after the US Department of Justice submitted proposals for redacting. These are necessary in order not to endanger witnesses or to not endanger the investigation into Trump’s handling of secret documents, since these are only “in the early stages”.

Judge Bruce Reinhart reacted unexpectedly quickly. In his order, he assessed the ministry’s proposal as appropriate, for example to protect the identity of witnesses or the integrity of the ongoing investigation. And this version is now to be made publicly available.

The statement is likely to contain important information about the investigation into classified documents kept at his Mar-a-Lago residence after Trump left office, including why the FBI agents suspect there may be a criminal offense in the connection .

Large US media houses had previously requested exactly this release. The lawyers, who represent the New York Times and broadcasters ABC and NBC, among others, argue that the public’s interest in the details of this case outweighs any arguments in favor of sealing.

The Justice Department argued that doing so could hamper future investigations and witness cooperation. On the judge’s orders, the department finally created its proposal for redactions. It remains to be seen how extensive these are and how meaningful the document actually is.

The raid a week and a half ago is part of an investigation into whether Trump illegally removed documents from the White House when he left the presidency in January 2021. The Justice Department is investigating several possible violations, including a provision in the Espionage Act that prohibits possession of national defense information.

Also against a law that criminalizes knowingly destroying, concealing or falsifying records to obstruct an investigation. During the search, the FBI seized several boxes containing, among other things, material marked “top secret”.

Accordingly, the agents in Trump’s property found, among other things, a set of documents classified as “Top Secret/SCI”, which are top secret and may only be viewed in special government institutions. Four of the confiscated sets of documents were classified as “Top Secret”, three more as “Secret” and the remaining three as “Confidential”.

In view of the immense interest and great pressure on the Justice Department in the sensitive case, Department Chief Merrick Garland had initiated the publication of the search warrant and the receipt for the confiscated items. However, US media demanded the release of further procedural documents in court.

Trump has described the raid as politically motivated. He claims that all documents were released, so the secrecy was lifted. However, since he kept the records at his private estate, he may have broken the law. This is now being investigated.