Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered a redacted version of the search warrant affidavit used in the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago to be unsealed on Friday by noon EST.
Judge Reinhart’s order on Thursday came after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) argued portions of the affidavit should be kept secret.
The affidavit was the basis for the search warrant that led to the FBI’s August 8 raid on Mar-a-Lago, where FBI agents took several items from former President Donald Trump’s estate, including multiple boxes of White House documents and items potentially outside the scope of the search warrant, like Trump’s passports.
Judge Reinhart, who approved the search warrant based on the affidavit, determined the federal government “has met its burden of showing a compelling reason/good cause to seal portions of the Affidavit.”
Reinhart agreed to DOJ’s redactions because they would reveal witness and law enforcement agent identities, the investigation’s strategy, and other grand jury information.
Several corporate media outlets, along with Judicial Watch, petitioned the court to unseal the entire affidavit. Trump also said he would encourage “the immediate release” of the search warrant affidavit and other related documents.
Judge Reinhart’s order on Thursday comes after the former President on Monday filed a motion requesting an independent review of the documents seized during the raid.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter.