The Redacted Mar-a-Lago Search Affidavit

On Friday, the affidavit for a search warrant that resulted in the FBI raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence was released to the public in a heavily redacted form.

The affidavit contains heavy redactions, with nearly half of the document being blacked out.

“The government is conducting a criminal investigation concerning the improper removal and storage of classified information in unauthorized spaces, as well as the unlawful concealment or removal of government records,” the affidavit begins.

The affidavit states that the investigation began as a result of a referral the United States National Archives and Records Administration sent to the Department of Justice on February 9, 2022, nearly a month after Trump had returned 15 boxes of materials.
The affidavit continued on to say that the 15 boxes contained “highly classified documents intermingled with other records.”
In a notice of proposed redactions, the Biden administration noted redactions that must be made on the Affidavit, stating, “the materials the government marked for redaction in the attached document must remain sealed to provide safety and privacy of a significant number of civilian witnesses, in addition to all enforcement personnel, as well as to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and to avoid disclosure of grand jury material in violation of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
In a list of reasons for redactions, most of which were redacted themselves, three lines only read Agent safety.
On Thursday, Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered that the redacted affidavit be released on Friday at noon, coming after the Department of Justice attempted to block its release.
On August 22, Reinhart, who had approved the search warrant authorizing the raid earlier this month, said that the raid was “unprecedented” and formally rejected the Biden administration’s argument to keep the affidavit sealed, citing “intense public and historical interest.”
Reinhart said in a filing that he rejects “the Government’s argument that the present record justifies keeping the entire Affidavit under seal.”
“The Government argues that even requiring it to redact portions of the Affidavit that could not reveal agent identities or investigative sources and methods imposes an undue burden on its resources and sets a precedent that could be disruptive and burdensome in future cases,” wrote Reinhart. “I do not need to reach the question of whether, in some other case, these concerns could justify denying public access; they very well might.”
He continued: “Particularly given the intense public and historical interest in an unprecedented search of a former President’s residence, the Government has not yet shown that these administrative concerns are sufficient to justify sealing.”
“Accordingly, it is hereby ORDERED that by the deadline, the Government shall file under seal a submission addressing possible redactions and providing any additional evidence or legal argument that the Government believes relevant to the pending Motions to Unseal,” the motion says.
On August 8, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence was raided by FBI agents, taking several boxes of materials that were believed to be covered under the Presidential Records Act.
On August 11, United States Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed that he “personally approved” of the FBI raid.
Trump had called for the affidavit to be released to the public, writing,  “In the interest of TRANSPARENCY, I call for the immediate release of the completely Unredacted Affidavit pertaining to this horrible and shocking BREAK-IN.”Click Here For The Complete Redacted Document

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