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 Justice Department put forward proposals for redactions. These are necessary so as not to endanger witnesses or interfere with the investigation into Trump’s handling of secret documents, as 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.
The statement is likely to contain important information about the investigation into secret documents Trump kept at his Mar-a-Lago residence after leaving office — including why the FBI agents suspect there may be a criminal offense in the matter .
Major US media houses had previously demanded the release of the document. 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.
It is also 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”.
Agents reportedly found, among other things, a set of Top Secret/SCI security-level documents at Trump’s home, which are top secret and can only be viewed at special government facilities. 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.
