Judge to hold hearing on unsealing warrant affidavit used on Mar-a-Lago

August 16, 2022 Amber Coakley US 0

The entrance to former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is shown, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump said in a lengthy statement that the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate and asserted that agents had broken open a safe. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 12:00 PM PT – Tuesday, August 16, 2022

A magistrate judge is set to hold a hearing to decide whether they will unseal more documents in relation to the search warrant used on Mar-a-Lago. Judge Bruce Reinhart will hold the hearing Thursday in regard to several media outlets request for the probable cause affidavit and other information to be made public

The Department of Justice opposed the release of the warrant affidavit, claiming it could hamper witness cooperation and the confidentiality of grand jury proceedings. According to the agency, the affidavit details the argument investigators made to the judge explaining the probable cause they had to search the home of 45th President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Trump is calling for the immediate release of the un-redacted affidavit. While taking to Truth Social Tuesday, he continued to rail against the FBI raid on his estate. Trump called for transparency and said the search was unjustifiable. He also said the judge on this case should recuse himself.

“There is no way to justify the unannounced RAID of Mar-a-Lago, the home of the 45th President of the United States (who got more votes, by far, than any sitting President in the history of our Country!), by a very large number of gun toting FBI Agents, and the Department of “Justice” but, in the interest of TRANSPARENCY, I call for the immediate release of the completely Unredacted Affidavit pertaining to this horrible and shocking BREAK-IN. Also, the Judge on this case should recuse!”

— Donald Trump via Truth Social

Recently, the DOJ decided to keep the details of the raid private from the media. This has caused lawmakers from both parties to raise questions about the investigation into the former president.

Federal authorities returned three of Trump’s passports taken during the raid. According to a report citing a Justice Department official Monday, the passports were given back to the former president after they were taken last week.

This came after the passports were not identified on the property receipt from last week’s search. A spokesperson for the FBI released a statement on the bureau’s practices, saying the agency returns items that do not need to be retained for law enforcement practices. Two of Trump’s passports taken were reportedly expired.