The Department of Justice released the redacted affidavit on Friday used to justify the raid on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
The affidavit can be viewed here.
U.S. magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart approved the release of the redacted version on Thursday, arguing that the DOJ’s redactions “are narrowly tailored to serve the Government's legitimate interest in the integrity of the ongoing investigation.”
Reinhart said the DOJ convinced him that some parts of the affidavit should be redacted, as unsealing it fully would reveal "(1) the identities of witnesses, law enforcement agents, and uncharged parties, (2) the investigation's strategy, direction, scope, sources, and methods, and (3) grand jury information.”
Reinhart, who also approved the warrant allowing the FBI to search Mar-a-Lago, ordered the DOJ to submit their redactions after a host of media outlets, including CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, filed a motion requesting that the affidavit be unsealed.
The DOJ had previously said it would not unseal the affidavit, arguing that the release would interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation into Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Trump has called for the "immediate release" of the "unreacted" affidavit.
"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 said on Truth Social. "Also, the Judge on this case should recuse!"
The former president has also filed a lawsuit calling for the review of the seized materials to be stopped until a watchdog is appointed, and for the FBI to return all items not in the scope of the search warrant. The suit claimed he has been “fully cooperative.”
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