A Florida federal magistrate judge on Thursday ordered the Justice Department to propose redactions in preparation for the potential release of the justification for searching former President Donald Trump’s private club, Mar-a-Lago, for classified documents earlier this month.
Following a hearing with media organizations seeking the information’s release, Judge Bruce Reinhart gave the Justice Department until Aug. 25 to propose redactions on the affidavit that justified the search. Last week, Reinhart’s court released documents showing the Justice Department is investigating Trump for potential violations of espionage, mishandling of classified information and destruction of government records.
“As I ruled from the bench at the conclusion of the hearing, I find that on the present record the government has not met its burden of showing that the entire affidavit should remain sealed,” Reinhart wrote in a brief order posted Thursday.
