Last Updated on August 16, 2022
Federal Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart has scheduled a hearing for Thursday that will determine whether the affidavit backing up the search warrant for former President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago property will remain sealed. The Department of Justice previously filed a motion to keep the affidavit sealed days after the raid, arguing that disclosure could damage their investigation. Former President Trump and his allies have called for the affidavit to be made public.
“Taking under advisement 4 the Motion to Unseal the search warrant materials, including attachments. The intervenors having requested a hearing, it is ordered that an in person Hearing will be held on 8/18/2022 at 1 PM in the West Palm Beach Division before Magistrate Judge Bruce E. Reinhart,” reads an order to unseal, dated August 16.
“No remote or telephonic appearances will be permitted. If any movant/intervenor wants to file a reply to the Government’s response, they may do so,” the order continues.
Former President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago property was raided by FBI agents on August 8. Agents confiscated multiple documents of boxes, two binders of photographs and a handwritten note, among other items. Agents even snatched three of the former president’s passports, which the FBI initially denied before alleging they were mistakenly taken and will be returned.
Trump immediately for the search warrant to be unsealed, and made public, which Attorney General Merrick Garland, under order from Reinhart, did on Friday.
The affidavit backing up the search warrant was not disclosed, however, and the DOJ has requested that it remain sealed.
Trump has demanded that the reason for the search be made public. The Biden FBI alleges that Trump could have been in possession of classified documents that threatened national security. Despite this supposed imminent threat, Garland debated whether to authorize the raid for weeks.
