In a surprising move, federal magistrate judge Bruce W. Reinhart indicated today that he would consider unsealing at least some of the information in the probable-cause affidavit submitted by an FBI agent in support of the search warrant the Justice Department executed last week at former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
To be clear, we are a ways away from seeing even a comma of the affidavit, and that still may not happen. Judge Reinhart gave the government a week to propose a redacted version. The Justice Department, which strenuously objected to the motion by news organizations and private watchdog groups for the affidavit’s disclosure, will surely propose a very heavily redacted document that substantially reveals nothing — and that will be only after using the next week to try to change Reinhart’s mind. There will be haggling between the government and the court regarding the redactions. And ultimately, if DOJ decides it cannot live with Reinhart’s ruling, it will appeal.
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