A federal judge acknowledged Monday that redactions to an FBI affidavit spelling out the basis for the search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate might be so extensive as to make the document “meaningless” if released to the public. But he said he continued to believe it should not remain sealed in its entirety because of the public interest in the ongoing criminal investigation.
A written order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart largely restates what he said in court last week, when he directed the Justice Department to propose redactions about the information in the affidavit that it wants to remain secret. That submission is due Thursday at noon.
Justice Department officials have sought to keep the entire document sealed, saying disclosing any portion of it risks compromising an investigation and divulging investigative techniques.
They have advised the judge that the redactions to the affidavit they would likely propose would be so numerous that the public would be left without substantive new information in the event the document was released.
Reinhart acknowledged that possibility in his Monday order, writing, “I cannot say at this point that partial redactions will be so extensive that they will result in a meaningless disclosure, but I may ultimately reach that conclusion after hearing further from the Government.”
