The Department of Justice is poised to release a redacted version of the affidavit justifying the unprecedented search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home before noon on Friday.
Florida Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ruled on Thursday afternoon that the DOJ must file the affidavit on the public docket just hours after it was reported that prosecutors had submitted a sealed copy with their recommended redactions. The released affidavit is expected to shed light on the reasons why the raid was executed.
WATCH: DEM CONGRESSMAN-ELECT SLAMS TRUMP AS ‘TRAITOROUS’ IN WAKE OF FBI MAR-A-LAGO RAID
The affidavit will be released despite opposition from the DOJ, who argued keeping it sealed would help protect the “ongoing law enforcement investigation that implicates national security.” However, Trump repeatedly called for the affidavit to be unsealed, maintaining he did not commit any wrongdoing.
The National Archives and Records Administration gathered more than 150 documents with classified markings after a search in January, according to the New York Times. The National Archives later referred the matter to the Justice Department, which then opened an investigation. The DOJ then visited Trump’s Florida residence in June and collected another batch of documents that contained sensitive national security information.
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Amid concerns about the possibility of more classified materials at the resort, Reinhart authorized the DOJ to execute a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 5, and officials collected another 26 boxes of documents. It was later revealed that Trump was being investigated over obstruction of justice and whether he violated the Espionage Act, according to the search warrant.
Trump has denounced the DOJ for its latest seizure, arguing that he declassified the materials he took with him and denying any wrongdoing. The former president unveiled a lawsuit on Monday, seeking to block the department from reviewing the evidence that was taken from his Mar-a-Lago residence.
