A US judge is open to sharing the FBI document underlying the recent search of a home belonging to former President Donald Trump, if it was specially adapted for that purpose. The Ministry of Justice has one week to submit the amended version to the judge.
Media, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, are trying to get the document through the courts. It concerns a statement made under oath explaining why evidence found is grounds for a search.
Justice states that the document contains information that must be protected during the investigation, for example about witnesses. But parts of the document may be released, according to Judge Bruce Reinhart, who approved the search warrant.
Confidential documents
The media argue that the public has a right to know what is in the FBI document and that the historical significance of the search outweighs the arguments for keeping the document secret. Trump also wants the confidential status of the document to be lifted. He believes that the search was politically motivated.
Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort in Palm Beach was investigated on Aug. 8 in an investigation into confidential documents the former president allegedly took from the White House.
Justice previously gave permission for the publication of the search warrant and a list of seized objects. That list contains boxes containing confidential documents, some of which have the status “top secret”. Top secret material is usually kept in special government facilities because its disclosure could seriously affect national security.