Trump search judge cites ‘historical interest’ in affidavit

Bloomberg

The judge who approved the search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate said “intense public and historical interest” in the FBI affidavit backing the warrant justified making an effort to unseal portions of it.
US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart in West Palm Beach, Florida, issued a written order Monday affirming his finding from a hearing last week that the Justice Department hadn’t made its case to keep the FBI’s search-warrant affidavit completely sealed. He specifically rejected the argument that the process of proposing redactions in the affidavit would be too time consuming and burdensome —a standard argument made in such cases.
“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,” the judge wrote.
Reinhart on Aug. 18 gave the Justice Department until noon on Thursday to propose redactions to partially unseal the affidavit. The order Monday says the government can provide “any additional evidence or legal argument” relevant to its opposition to unsealing.
The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The 13-page Monday order didn’t contain surprises but did give more detail about the court’s reasoning for denying a government request to the keep the affidavit completely secret. Reinhart also stressed that he believes the search was justified based on the information in the document.“Having carefully reviewed the affidavit before signing the warrant, I was satisfied that the facts sworn by the affiant are reliable,” he said. The judge also expanded on his reasons for not fully unsealing the affidavit, as a group of media organizations requested.
Reinhart noted the need to protect the identity of agents and witnesses in light of recent threats against the Federal Bureau of Investigation.