“Disclosure of the government’s affidavit at this stage will likely spoil future cooperation from witnesses whose assistance may be sought as this investigation progresses, as well as in other high-profile investigations,” the Justice Department wrote. “The fact that this investigation involves highly classified material further underscores the need to protect the integrity of the investigation and exacerbates the potential harm if the information is disclosed to the public prematurely or inappropriately.” Media organizations, including CNN, had requested that the affidavit be unsealed after last week’s search of Trump’s Palm Beach, Fla., club and residence. The Justice Department detailed the affidavit outlining the argument investigators made to federal judge Bruce Reinhart explaining probable cause to search Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property last week. The search, the documents show, was an evidence-gathering step in a national security investigation into presidential records at Mar-a-Lago. Trump owns the large estate and it is his primary residence as well as a members-only club and resort. The FBI recovered 11 sets of classified documents from its investigation, including some material marked “top secret/SCI” — one of the highest levels of classification, according to search warrant documents released Friday.
