Federal judge orders release of redacted Trump search affidavit

The order from Judge Bruce Reinhart, who approved the FBI search warrant and is overseeing the case, instructed the justice department to release a redacted version of the affidavit that he had reviewed before noon on Friday.

How much of the affidavit will be redacted was not clear. The justice department had opposed unsealing the affidavit in any way, and only submitted proposed redactions after being ordered to do so by Reinhart last week, warning redactions could be so extensive as to make it meaningless.

But depending on how the affidavit was produced, former US attorneys said, it could also contain elements that are not directly related to the investigation, such as descriptions of potential crimes that the justice department suspected were being committed at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump has attempted to hit back at the justice department in subsequent days, and on Monday filed a motion seeking the appointment of a so-called special master to determine what documents federal investigators can use as evidence, and to get a more detailed list of what was seized.

Bratt had argued in court against the release of any portion of the affidavit or even a redacted version of the highly-sensitive document, saying it could risk revealing the roadmap of the investigation and chill cooperation from other witnesses who may come forward.

Reinhart presided over arguments between the justice department and several media organizations. Trump has said he supports unsealing the affidavit but filed no motion of his own. One of his lawyers, Chrsitina Bobb, nonetheless attended the hearing last week to observe proceedings.