The big picture: The affidavit outlined evidence of the FBI’s search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home for classified documents he took with him when he left office. Details: Judge Bruce Rinehart ordered the amended affidavit to be released by noon ET Friday.
He wrote that “the government has met its burden of showing that its proposed amendments are narrowly tailored to serve the government’s legitimate interest in the integrity of the ongoing investigation and are the least burdensome alternative to sealing the entire affidavit.” . According to Reuters, Reinhart will review the department’s formalities and decide whether or not to release the affidavit. He said the corrections could be so heavy-handed that they could “render the document without content”.
Flashback: Reinhart filed a written order Monday suggesting he would seek to unseal portions of the affidavit, Axios’ Erin Doherty reported.
“Given the intense public and historical interest in an unprecedented search of a former president’s residence,” the US government did not make a strong enough case to seal the affidavit, Reinhart wrote. “I therefore reject the government’s argument that the present record warrants keeping the entire affidavit under seal,” he wrote.
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