Judge orders redacted version of Trump search warrant affidavit be made public

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WASHINGTON A redacted version of the affidavit used to secure the search warrant for former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate is set to be unsealed Friday under a judge’s order.

The Justice Department submitted its proposed redactions to the document on Thursday, prompting the judge to agree to unseal the document on Friday by noon.

The search warrant affidavit had led US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart to find probable cause that evidence of crimes would be found at Mar-a-Lago ahead of the Aug. 8 raids. The document lays out the justification for the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago by FBI special agents, although it is unclear how much will be redacted.

Reinhart had earlier indicated that he might not release much, if anything, of the underlying search warrant affidavit, and the Justice Department had opposed its release. In a ruling Thursday afternoon, Reinhart wrote that the department had shown sufficient cause to redact portions of the document, saying that releasing the affidavit in whole would reveal the identities of witnesses, law enforcement and “uncharged parties,” as well as the scope and methods of the investigation.

Further, the Justice Department had shown that its redactions were “narrowly tailored,” Reinhart wrote.

Some documents related to the search warrant have already been released, showing that a number of classified documents had been found at Mar-a-Lago. Under the law, Trump was not supposed to possess any presidential records, which are supposed to be under the control of the National Archives. The affidavit would reveal more of the justification for the search and some of the evidence that the government presented to the judge.

Justice Department spokesperson Anthony Coley noted that the department had filed a submission under seal per the Courts order of Aug. 22, but declined to comment further as the Court considers the matter.”

Ryan J. Reilly is a justice reporter for NBC News.

Tom Winter is a New York-based correspondent covering crime, courts, terrorism and financial fraud on the East Coast for the NBC News Investigative Unit.

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