Judge Challenges Doj S Argument That Mar A Lago Search Affidavit Will Remain Fully Sealed

The Justice Department urged the judge, Bruce Reinhart, to keep the affidavit under seal, arguing that if released it could “cause significant and irreparable harm” to an ongoing criminal investigation involving highly classified material related to national security. Arguing on behalf of the Justice Department on Thursday, Jay Bratt, head of the agency’s counterintelligence and export control division, acknowledged the heightened public interest in the case, but argued there is another public interest in keeping the government’s position sealed. the underlying affidavit as it would provide a road map and “suggest the next investigative steps we are going to take.” Bratt said the investigation is in the “early stages” and he fears for the safety of witnesses and potential witnesses and the threat of “possible obstruction and interference.” “This investigation is open. It’s in its early stages,” Bratt said. Bratt argued that the amendments to the affidavit would not be sufficient because the information in it could identify witnesses based on their descriptions of events that only certain people would know about. Secret Service agents stand outside an entrance to former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate late Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in Palm Beach, Florida. Terry Renna/AP After hearing the government’s arguments, Judge Reinhart said, “I am not prepared to find that the affidavit should be completely sealed.” The judge said he thinks there are parts of what was supposed to be unsealed — whether they would make sense is for someone else to decide, he said. The government may disagree with him on some points, he said, giving the Justice Department until next Thursday to table its proposed amendments. ABC News and several other media organizations called for the release of the affidavit, noting the historic significance of the unprecedented law enforcement search of a former president’s residence and the “immediate and intense public interest as well as Mr. Trump’s tumultuous response and his allies”. The officials said in their filing Monday, however, that they believed the redactions that would be necessary to protect the investigation “would be so extensive as to render the remaining unsealed text devoid of substantial content.” The DOJ will likely seek an immediate appeal of any decision by Judge Reinhart that would reveal further material details underlying its investigation. A police car is seen outside former US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on August 8, 2022. Trump said the residence was “raided” by FBI agents in what he called a “prosecution act misconduct.” Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images The government said, however, that it would not object to the unsealing of other materials filed in connection with the warrant, such as cover sheets for the petition, the government’s motion to keep the warrant under seal and Judge Reinhart’s original sealing order — none which will likely reveal much beyond the material already revealed. The redacted copy of the search warrant released last Friday shocked Washington by revealing that the Justice Department was investigating the possible violation of at least three different criminal statutes in its search of Mar a Lago, including obstruction of justice and a felony under Espionage Act. A proof of ownership attached to the warrant shows agents seized 11 boxes of documents of various categories, including a set referred to as “classified/TS/SCI documents” (the acronym stands for top secret/sensitive compartmentalized information that not everyone has yet and top secret clearance can see) and four other sets of top secret documents. The documents were discovered by authorities after a Trump lawyer signed a statement in June to the FBI confirming that all classified documents at the facility had been turned over to investigators, sources confirmed to ABC News. Trump’s team has yet to take legal action despite publicly trying to pressure the Justice Department to release the full affidavit. Christina Bobb, who is on Trump’s legal team, said they don’t plan to file anything or speak publicly, but told reporters she came to watch the hearing. In recent days, Trump has called for the “immediate release” of the affidavit, while launching various attacks on the FBI and the Justice Department, while also demanding on his social media page that the documents be returned to him. However, Trump’s legal team has yet to take any kind of legal action on any front in response to the investigation. Former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone and former deputy White House counsel Pat Philbin are among several other witnesses interviewed by the FBI as part of its investigation, ABC News confirmed Tuesday, with sources saying that the two sat down with investigators sometime in the spring. But there is no indication that the Justice Department’s filing citing officials’ hopes of protecting witnesses who testified in the investigation was a direct reference to Cipollone or Philbin. ABC News’ John Santucci contributed to this report.

title: “Judge Challenges Doj S Argument That Mar A Lago Search Affidavit Will Remain Fully Sealed Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-05” author: “Victor Xu”

title: “Judge Challenges Doj S Argument That Mar A Lago Search Affidavit Will Remain Fully Sealed Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-23” author: “Sarah Ayuso”

title: “Judge Challenges Doj S Argument That Mar A Lago Search Affidavit Will Remain Fully Sealed Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-22” author: “Maria Schilling”

title: “Judge Challenges Doj S Argument That Mar A Lago Search Affidavit Will Remain Fully Sealed Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-10” author: “Mary Williams”