The Department of Justice has submitted two filings to Judge Bruce Reinhart in regards to the search warrant affidavit used to purportedly justify raiding former President Donald J. Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8.
The DOJ has submitted two filings:
1. Proposed redactions to the affidavit in support of the search warrant.
2. A submission providing additional evidence/argument against unsealing the affidavit.
Both are under seal – and will remain sealed for the time being. pic.twitter.com/9Q3ay6PAXL
— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) August 25, 2022
Becker News correspondent Real Mac Report provided the following overview on the docket entry:
The DOJ has submitted two filings:
1. Proposed redactions to the affidavit in support of the search warrant.
2. A submission providing additional evidence/argument against unsealing the affidavit.
Both are under seal – and will remain sealed for the time being.
Judge Bruce Reinhart in a filing on Monday morning announced that formally he rejects “the Government’s argument that the present record justifies keeping the entire Affidavit under seal.”
“The Government argues that even requiring it to redact portions of the Affidavit that could not reveal agent identities or investigative sources and methods imposes an undue burden on its resources and sets a precedent that could be disruptive and burdensome in future cases,” Reinhart wrote. “I do not need to reach the question of whether, in some other case, these concerns could justify denying public access; they very well might.”
“Particularly given the intense public and historical interest in an unprecedented search of a former President’s residence, the Government has not yet shown that these administrative concerns are sufficient to justify sealing,” he added.
It remains to be seen how much of the search warrant affidavit will be redacted. A redacted version of the document is expected to be released on Friday.
“Accordingly, it is hereby ORDERED that by the deadline, the Government shall file under seal a submission addressing possible redactions and providing any additional evidence or legal argument that the Government believes relevant to the pending Motions to Unseal,” the motion stated.
Donald Trump earlier called for the “completely unredacted” affidavit that purportedly justified the FBI raid.
“There is no way to justify the unannounced RAID of Mar-a-Lago, the home of the 45th President of the United States (who got more votes, by far, than any sitting President in the history of our Country!), by a very large number of gun-toting FBI Agents, and the Department of ‘Justice,’” Trump wrote.
“In the interest of TRANSPARENCY, I call for the immediate release of the completely Unredacted Affidavit pertaining to this horrible and shocking BREAK-IN,” Trump added.
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