The Department of Justice was unable to seal the Mar-a-Lago raid warrant affidavit in a Monday morning ruling. The presiding judge called the raid “unprecedented” giving the DOJ until late this week to make redactions.
Although the ruling was expected, it was not officially handed down until today. It takes into account the historical nature and raid on the former President’s house.
Judge Bruce Reinhart stated that “Particularly due to the intense public interest in a search of an ex-President’s residence,” “the Government hasn’t yet demonstrated that these administrative concerns are sufficient justification for sealing.”
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Reinhart stated that he had given the Justice Department the “opportunity of proposing redaction”, which he granted last Thursday. This gave the government a deadline for Thursday, August 25th at noon.
“Accordingly, it’s hereby ordered that, by the deadline, a submission be filed under seal by the Government addressing redactions and providing any additional evidence, legal argument, or other information that the Government considers relevant to the pending Motions for Unseal.” The motion states.
Reinhart stated that the entire affidavit shouldn’t be kept under seal during the highly anticipated hearing held in West Palm Beach Division, Florida, last Thursday. This was despite the argument of the Justice Department that it would compromise future steps in the investigation, and give a “roadmap”, for the probe.
It is possible that redactions by the Justice Department could render the information inaccessible, but this ruling is a victory in trying to expose the motives behind the raid. Multiple reports have been made about the FBI’s search, and Republicans are demanding greater transparency regarding the extraordinary nature of the raid.
The judge will make his own redactions if the Justice Department submits redactions he feels are improper. The DOJ may object to the judge’s decision about what should and shouldn’t be redacted. According to the FBI, they fear that making public details of their investigation will impact their investigation, especially where interviews are involved.
