A US judge has partially granted a request to unseal an affidavit underpinning Former US President Donald Trump’s Mar a Lago raid at his home in Florida till Friday noon.
“[I]t is ordered that: 1. The Intervenors’ Motion to Unseal [ECF No. 4] is granted in part. 2. On or before noon Eastern time on Friday, August 26, 2022, the Government shall file in the public docket a version of the Affidavit containing the redactions proposed in ECF No. 89-1,” the order said, according to Al Jazeera.
US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the redacted document’s release by noon (16:00 GMT) on Friday underpinned the FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home earlier this month.
Reinhart’s order apparently came on Thursday, just hours after a Justice Department spokesman confirmed that prosecutors had submitted a sealed copy of its affidavit with proposed redactions to the judge.
“The Justice Department had valid reasons to keep some of the document secret, including the need to protect the identities of witnesses and federal agents, as well as the government’s investigation and strategy and grand jury material,” Reinhart said.
“The government has met its burden of showing that its proposed redactions are narrowly tailored to serve the government’s legitimate interest in the integrity of the ongoing investigation and are the least onerous alternative to sealing the entire affidavit,” he wrote in Thursday’s order.
