The Justice Department is asking the judge to deny the media request to unseal the search warrant affidavit that led to the Mar-a-Lago raid because it “would serve as a roadmap for the government’s ongoing investigation.”
- The Justice Department on Monday ordered a judge to seal the Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit from the public
- “The affidavit would serve as a roadmap for the government’s ongoing investigation,” prosecutors said, arguing that the investigation could be compromised
- CNN and other media sued the government for access to the Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit
- It was used to convince a judge that there was a probable cause for a crime to have happened at former President Donald Trump’s Florida home
- The DOJ argued that the release of these documents “at this time” would “do significant and irreparable damage to this ongoing criminal investigation.”
The Justice Department on Monday ordered a judge to seal the Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit from the public, arguing that it contained too many sensitive details about the ongoing investigation.
“The affidavit would serve as a roadmap for the government’s ongoing investigation, providing specific details on its direction and likely course, in a way that will most likely jeopardize future investigative steps,” prosecutors argued in a court filing on Monday.
CNN and other media outlets are suing the government for access to the affidavit that provided the legal argument why last Monday’s FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s Florida property was necessary.
The Justice Department on Monday ordered a judge to seal the Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit from the public, arguing that it contained too many sensitive details about the ongoing investigation
Former President Donald Trump has expressed outrage at last Monday’s raid on his Florida home and private club, in which a receipt says boxes containing classified documents were removed
Attorney General Merrick Garland gave the go-ahead for the release of the warrant and property receipt, but the DOJ does not want the search warrant affidavit unsealed because it could interfere with the ongoing investigation
Prosecutors needed to establish a probable cause that a crime had been committed in order for a judge to give the green light to a search warrant at Trump’s Florida home and private club.
The Justice Department argued Monday that the release of those documents “at this time” would “do significant and irreparable damage to this ongoing criminal investigation.”
“Releasing the government’s affidavit at this stage would also likely interfere with future cooperation from witnesses whose assistance may be sought during the course of this investigation, as well as other high-profile investigations,” the DOJ said.
Prosecutors also argued that releasing a redacted version would not serve the public.
“The redactions required to diminish the integrity of the investigation would be so extensive that the remaining unsealed text would be devoid of meaningful content, and the release of such redacted version would serve no public interest,” the DOJ said.
On Friday, two other documents related to the search — the warrant and the property receipt — were publicly released after Attorney General Merrick Garland said the DOJ would go to court to authorize it if Trump agreed the documents could be unsealed.
Trump, who has expressed outrage at the wheel, said almost immediately the documents could come out.
The title deed listed some documents from Mar-a-Lago as “top secret”, the highest level of secrecy.
The DOJ said Monday it would not yet have further details on the classified documents that will be released to the public.
“The fact that this investigation involves highly classified material underscores the need to protect the integrity of the investigation and exacerbates the potential harm if information is prematurely or improperly disclosed to the public,” the DOJ said.