Meeting a deadline established by Judge Bruce Reinhart, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has submitted a list of proposed redactions to the affidavit used to justify the raid on former President Donald Trump’s home, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida.
The DOJ was ordered to submit proposed redactions and justification for the redactions to Reinhart by noon on Thursday. Previously, Reinhart, a U.S. magistrate, stated that following the DOJ’s submission, he would review the recommendations and determine what material was appropriate to be released to the public.
After filing the paperwork, a spokesperson for the DOJ said, “The United States has filed a submission under seal per the Court’s order of Aug. 22.”
Some have questioned whether Reinhart could be impartial in the matter. He recused himself from another Trump-related case and was a former attorney for Jeffery Epstein, who had a public feud with Trump, and he was the judge who approved the warrant for the Mar-a-Lago raid.
Breitbart reports that evidently, neither Reinhart nor the DOJ considered the raid to be a matter of urgency, as the warrant order was signed days before it was executed and the DOJ was given several weeks to carry it out. Breitbart reports that these facts are very unusual and will be debated in the court of public opinion in the coming days.
FBI and DOJ officials have urged the judge to keep the affidavit sealed.
Former President Trump and many media and legal organizations disagree, claiming public interest demands at least some disclosure.
According to unsealed documents pertaining to the case, the government claims it had reason to believe Trump violated laws pertaining to the handling of classified documents — including destroying or falsifying federal records.
Government officials have not yet substantiated their claims. Many await Reinhart’s decision regarding the disclosure of the inventory list and affidavit to determine the truth in the matter.
“The outlets and nonprofits, including Judicial Watch, say the public interest means the document should be made public even if some redactions are made,” reported The Epoch Times.
According to The Epoch Times, Reinhart left open the possibility of keeping the affidavit sealed:
“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,” he said.
Trump believes his civil rights have been violated and has threatened to respond with a “major” suit based on the Fourth Amendment.”
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