MAGA circles courthouse
Federal magistrate to release some documents related to Mar-a-Lago search warrant
High-profile hearing underway Thursday at West Palm Beach federal courthouse
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A federal magistrate in West Palm Beach agreed Thursday to release some documents related to the
Mar-a-Lago search warrant,which was executed at former President Donald Trump's Palm Beach property on Aug. 8.
During a hearing at the Paul G. Rogers Federal Building, Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart said he will unseal the application for the warrant, along with some additional documents with redactions that the Department of Justice did not Multiple media outlets, including WPTV's parent company, are requesting that Reinhart unseal the probable cause affidavit attached to that warrant, which may detail why the FBI was so anxious to get inside Mar-a-Lago and seize the things agents found. object to.
During Thursday's high-profile hearing, Jay Bratt, an attorney for the Department of Justice told Reinhart that releasing a redacted version of the affidavit is "not practical."
Bratt added there is heightened public interest in this case, but there are things that can't be revealed. In addition, there are concerns over the identities of federal agents and the impact on witnesses.
However, media attorney Charles Tobin argued for unsealing the affidavit, telling Reinhart "you cannot trust what you cannot see."
Last Friday,
a judge unsealed a list of items, including some documents labeled "top secret" and "highly classified," which were taken from Mar-a-Lago by federal agents.
The
Department of Justice is resisting the release of the probable cause affidavit, saying that doing so could jeopardize any possible case and even future cases. But the media is contending there is a compelling case for the public to know why this is all happening.
Trump and other Republican lawmakers have also called for the release of the affidavit related to the search of the former president's home.
"The federal law is clear in this area that these affidavits are never revealed prior to an indictment, particularly never revealed if it's somehow going to upend an investigation by the government," said criminal defense attorney Val Rodriguez. "It may compromise witnesses, confidential informants. It may give clues to how the investigation is going. Techniques, things of that nature, which the government has a compelling interest in making sure they're not revealed."
As Thursday's hearing got underway, two vehicles flying "Trump 2024" flags could be seen circling the federal courthouse.
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Magistrate to release some documents related to Mar-a-Lago search warrant (wptv.com)