25-08-22, 23:44
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#28
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re: TRUMP STOLE Top SECRET Material & Special Master Ruling Won't Save Him
TRUMPS' Legal Battles: Judge Orders Release of Redacted Search Court Papers
Judge Orders Justice Department to Release Redacted Affidavit Leading to Search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Home
Order comes after government submitted redactions to the document detailing evidence earlier Thursday
Trump appears to be panicking over calls for him to be indicted. He says: ‘something that should not be done’
BBC News 26 AUG 2022.
Donald Trump
A US judge has ordered investigators to release a redacted version of court papers used to justify a search of ex-President Donald Trump's Florida home.
The public version of the affidavit, a court document that includes evidence presented by prosecutors, could reveal new details about the inquiry.
The Department of Justice opposed releasing an unredacted version amid its ongoing investigation.
The FBI search was part of a probe into the potential mishandling of documents.
Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing and insists the classified files that investigators say were found at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach had already been declassified by himself.
On Thursday, US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the affidavit to be released with redactions by noon (16:00 GMT) on Friday.
He said prosecutors had demonstrated a "compelling reason" to black out parts of the document, which would reveal the identities of witnesses, law enforcement agents and uncharged parties, as well as "the investigation's strategy, direction, scope, sources and methods".
Could Trump investigation stop him running in 2024?
His ruling came shortly after the justice department confirmed that it had submitted to the judge a copy of the affidavit with proposed redactions.
Even in redacted form, the affidavit could provide clues as to why Mr Trump allegedly took classified documents with him in the chaotic final days of his presidency and what he did with them while they were stored in Palm Beach.
The rest may have to wait for when - or if - any criminal charges are filed.
The warrant itself was released on 12 August alongside an inventory of recovered items that showed 11 sets of classified files were removed from the estate.
Several news organisations have applied for the affidavit to be unsealed, citing public interest given the historic nature of the search of a former president's home.
The Department of Justice, however, had resisted the move, arguing that its release could cause "irreparable damage" to its ongoing investigation. It also said the necessary redactions would render the document "meaningless".
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