‘IRREPARABLE DAMAGE’

DOJ Asks Judge to Keep Mar-a-Lago Affidavit Under Wraps

The warrant used to search Trump’s Florida estate was made public last week, but the affidavit behind it is bound to contain far more sensitive details.

After investigators pulled 11 boxes of sensitive information out of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the Department of Justice is resisting requests to make public the affidavit behind the search. On Monday, in response to requests from several media outlets which asked for it to be released, the department filed a 13-page document pleading that the affidavit remain sealed. In the filing, prosecutors argued that its disclosure would expose witness identities and “cause significant and irreparable damage” to an ongoing criminal investigation. They also warned that releasing the affidavit “would also likely chill future cooperation by witnesses.” A search warrant explaining the legal reasoning behind the raid was unsealed last Friday, but the underlying affidavit is bound to contain key details and sensitive information on probable cause. The judge who signed the warrant, Bruce E. Reinhart, is set to rule on the affidavit’s release, although it is not clear when he will make a decision.