(CNN) — Federal Judge Bruce Reinhardt raised the possibility of release of a heavily redacted version of the affidavit this Thursday. From the Mar-a-Lago registry.
The judge plans to ask the Justice Department for more details next week about the length of the document that investigators want to keep secret, as the affidavit outlines the investigative steps and methods that led to the record’s request.
Reinhart said he still doesn’t believe the entire affidavit should be private to the public.
“I’m not prepared to determine based on the record now that the entire affidavit should be sealed,” Reinhardt said, adding that there are “portions” that could be made public.
Advocates will have an opportunity to propose amendments and explain why each piece of information should be kept out of public view, Reinhardt said. Those proposals are due Thursday.
Reinhardt indicated that he may hold additional confidential discussions with the Justice Department before making his decisions on transparency.
Earlier Thursday, Reinhardt said he would release some other procedural documents currently sealed in the search warrant file.
According to the judge’s comments, the documents presented were the Justice Department’s motion to seal the warrant documents, the order granting the sealing request and the criminal docket.
The judge opens the relevant procedural documents
Bruce Reinhardt released several procedural court documents Thursday related to the FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Florida home.
The newly released documents provide more detail on the potential crimes the Justice Department is investigating, describing the crimes as “intentional withholding of national security information,” as well as “concealing or suppressing government records” and “obstructing a federal investigation.”
In the documents, prosecutors argued that search warrant documents prior to last Monday’s Mar-a-Lago raid should be kept secret because the integrity of the ongoing investigation could be compromised and evidence destroyed.
The documents filed include the Justice Department’s motion to seal the warrant documents, an order granting that sealing request and a criminal docket.
The cover also stated that the Department of Justice had requested a search of Mar-a-Lago, hoping to find evidence of these crimes and recover illegally possessed items.
Note: This is not a search warrant affidavit, which contains additional details. The judge plans to hear more from the Justice Department next week about how secret investigators want to keep the document, which outlines their investigative activities and the methods that led to the search warrant.
