Redacted copy of Mar-a-Lago affidavit released to the public

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC) – A redacted copy of the affidavit used to justify an FBI search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate was released Friday.

The 36-page document was indeed heavily redacted but it does paint a picture of what the DOJ presented to the judge in order to secure the search warrant.

Included in the affidavit was information gained from a review of 15 boxes of documents received by the DOJ from Mar-a-Lago in January including 184 unique documents bearing classification markings, including 67 marked as “confidential,” 92 marked “secret,” and 25 marked “top secret.”

According to the affidavit, FBI agents also noted markings denoting intelligence compartments, including human control system, which are reports based on conversations with a confidential human source, or spy.

Other classifications of intelligence denoted material that cannot be shared with foreign nationals, material obtained through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and signal intercepts.

Further, there was information concerning additional material being improperly stored at Mar-a-Lago.

All this information was apparently strong enough to convince the judge that probable cause of a crime existed in order to get the warrant signed.

During the resulting search, agents recovered 11 sets of documents, some of them labeled as classified.

The Department of Justice initially balked at the release of the affidavit because it would provide a road map of its investigation, and reveal the names of agents and others involved in gathering the included evidence.

Former President Trump had been calling for the release of the affidavit in full, as has multiple news organizations including NBC News.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart heard arguments concerning whether to unseal the affidavit ordered the DOJ to provide a redacted version of the affidavit and then ordered that the redacted copy be made public Friday.

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