Ever since the FBI conducted a search of former President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach, Fla., Mar-A-Lago estate, Trump and his allies have been adamant about releasing the search warrant affidavit, but legal aides worry that this could backfire. the Washington Post reported. The Justice Department asked the court to keep that document sealed, saying it contains “highly sensitive” information and could do “significant and irreparable damage” to the ongoing investigation into the documents the former president took from the White House after the his presidency. After a public outcry over the unsealing of the search warrant, a federal judge ordered the release of the document that gave the Justice Department access to Trump’s office, safe and other areas of his South Florida home. A summary of the materials seized by the FBI was also included. “The Department filed the motion to release the warrant and evidence in light of the former president’s public confirmation of the investigation, the surrounding circumstances, and the substantial public interest in this matter,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. However, the affidavit remains sealed. The affidavit is likely to contain names of witnesses, details of federal law enforcement search procedures and evidence. Several media outlets, including the Washington Post, filed a request in federal court to release the affidavit, whose lawyers cited the “historical significance of these events.” Trump shared his support for releasing the documents “in the interest of TRANSPARENCY” on the social media platform, Truth Social. A former senior Justice Department official said he doubted there would be anything “good” for the president in the affidavit, the Post reported. “It’s an advocacy document,” the official told the Washington Post. The official said that while everything in the document must be true, there is no “exculpatory evidence. It’s never a good story for the accused.” According to the Washington Post, Judge Bruce E. Reinhart ordered a hearing Thursday afternoon, giving Trump’s legal team until Thursday morning to file a formal request with the court to release the document. As of Tuesday night, the Post reported that his lawyers had not. Other legal analysts cited by the Washington Post said the resistance to releasing documents such as search warrant affidavits is consistent with how investigations are typically conducted. Matthew Miller, a former spokesman for the Justice Department told the news outlet, “The Justice Department is one of the few agencies that says transparency for transparency’s sake doesn’t always make sense — particularly in an ongoing situation.” The attorney general, who rarely makes public appearances, has publicly addressed the inquiry several times since the investigation was completed. In a public statement to the Justice Department, Garland said he authorized the decision to seek a search warrant, called on a judge to release the search warrant and inventory list, excluding the affidavit. “Merrick Garland has already spent a few more minutes talking about this publicly than he normally would,” Stephen A. Saltzburg, a law professor at George Washington University and a former deputy assistant attorney general in George’s administration, told the Washington Post. HW Bush. “Submission to the department keeps research and sources confidential. Salzburg said what makes this case unique is the fact that it is “the first time they’ve searched the home of a former president.” If convicted, Trump could face a raft of charges after the FBI discovered 11 sets of documents, some classified as top secret, including violating the Espionage Act.
