The US Justice Department on Friday released a partially redacted document explaining the rationale behind an FBI raid of former President Donald Trump’s home weeks ago, when agents removed top-secret and other government documents.
The document, even in its partially redacted form, will likely reveal at least some criminal investigation details which has meant new legal dangers for Trump, just as he is laying the groundwork for a new presidential campaign.
Although officials from the Department of Justice predictably sensitive details about witnesses will have been removed and the scope and direction of the investigation, the affidavit may contain the most complete description to date of the events that led to the Mar-a-Lago raid on August 8.
The document, an affidavit the FBI submitted to a judge in order to obtain a warrant to search Trump’s property.
surprising decision
These statements, also called affidavits, usually contain vital information about an investigation and officers explain to the judge why they want to search a particular piece of property and why they think they are likely to find evidence of a possible crime there, but affidavits usually They remain sealed during ongoing investigations.
Paragraphs crossed out in the FBI document on the search of Trump’s residence in Florida. Photo: AP
That makes the judge’s decision to reveal parts of them all the more surprising.
In an acknowledgment of the extraordinary public interest in the investigation, US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the Department Thursday to release a summary version of the affidavit by Friday.
However, even a redacted affidavit (i.e. with portions blocked) may contain some news about the investigation and it likely helps explain why federal agents who tried for months to retrieve sensitive government documents at Mar-a-Lago finally felt compelled to apply for a search warrant.
Judge Reinhart’s order came hours after federal authorities sealed the parts of the text that they want to keep secret while their investigation progresses.
The residence of Mar a Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, which was raided. Photo: AP
confidential documents
Documents that have already been made public as part of the investigation show that the FBI recovered 11 sets of confidential documents, including information marked top secret, at Mar-a-Lago.
The Justice Department had disputed arguments by media outlets that any part of the affidavit should be made public, saying releasing the document could reveal private information about witnesses and investigative tactics.
But acknowledging the extraordinary public interest in the investigation, Reinhart said he did not agree to seal the entire document and asked federal authorities to present to him privately which parts they wanted redacted.
Still, he conceded that the redacted portions could be so extensive that they would leave the public version of the document without any meaningful information.
Source: AP