Former U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower to meet with New York Attorney General Letitia James for a civil investigation on August 10, 2022 in New York City.
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The Department of Justice on Thursday filed under seal a document in a federal court detailing its proposed redactions for the affidavit used to obtain a search warrant for former President Donald Trump‘s residence in Florida.
The suggestions had been requested by a magistrate judge in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, who is considering requests from media outlets and others to unseal that affidavit, which led to the Aug. 8 raid on Trump’s home at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.
The DOJ’s proposal, which will remain under seal for now by court order, was expected to contain extensive redactions of the affidavit because of the department’s concern that full public disclosure of the document could put FBI agents or witnesses at risk, or undermine an ongoing criminal investigation.
The DOJ is probing the removal of hundreds of pages of documents from the White House when Trump left office in January 2021. Presidential documents by law are required to be turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration.
Court documents have revealed the DOJ is investigation possible violations of laws related to espionage and obstruction of justice.
Affidavits filed in support of search warrant applications routinely include details of why the FBI and prosecutors believe a crime has likely been committed, and what evidence they expect or hope to find at the location that is the target of the warrant.
During the raid on Mar-a-Lago, FBI agents seized about a dozen boxes of material. Court records indicate that the documents seized included material that was marked top secret.
“The United States has filed a submission under seal per the Court’s order of Aug. 22,” DOJ spokesman Anthony Coley said in a statement Thursday.
“The Justice Department respectfully declines further comment as the Court considers the matter,” he said.
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who authorized the raid and is presiding over issues related to the warrant, has indicated he is likely to unseal at least portions of the affidavit.
“I cannot say at this point that partial redactions will be so extensive that they will result in a meaningless disclosure, but I may ultimately reach that conclusion after hearing further from the government,” Reinhart wrote in an order Monday.
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