WASHINGTON, D.C. – There are new developments Thursday in the investigation into former President Trump’s handling of highly classified documents.
A federal judge said he is inclined to ultimately unseal portions of the affidavit justifying the FBI search of the former president’s home though the judge ordered the Justice Department to choose what sensitive information to redact.
A top Justice Department lawyer called the probable cause affidavit that led to the FBI search a “detailed roadmap” of an investigation into how the former president’s handling of classified documents that is still in its “early stages.”
The mounting legal troubles surrounding former President Trump were on display Thursday in two separate courtrooms.
In Florida, a federal judge is deciding a key question about those classified documents the FBI seized from the former president’s Mar-a-Lago home.
The judge said he believes portions of the affidavit justifying the search could be unsealed and is ordering the Justice Department to file what it wants redacted by next Thursday.
Judge Bruce Reinhart heard arguments from media organizations, including NBC News, who’ve pressed for the affidavit to be released because of public interest.
The Trump legal team has not formally joined that push. Though a Trump spokesman, again, called to make the affidavit public with no redactions.
Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump said, “We want it released and full transparency for the American people.”
The Justice Department is arguing the release would significantly compromise its ongoing criminal investigation into the former president’s handling of sensitive documents that federal prosecutors said is in its early stages.
Former FBI General Counsel Andrew Weissmann said, “There are national security interests, there are criminal interests, there are concerns about witnesses.”
Meanwhile, in New York, the ex-chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges in a case involving the company’s business dealings. He has not agreed to testify against Donald Trump.
The former president is profiting from his problems. Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele said, “Every moment where Donald Trump’s name is in the news — on any subject — is a moment to raise money for Donald Trump.”
The Washington Post reports he’s been fundraising off the FBI search, bringing in nearly a million dollars a day last week.
Going back to the Mar-a-Lago search, in arguing to keep documents under seal — especially regarding witnesses—federal prosecutors referenced the political environment, calling this a volatile situation.
In fact, the judge presiding Thursday is the same one who signed off on the search and he’s since faced death threats.
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