DOJ urges court not to release Trump raid affidavit, cites concerns about witnesses, investigation
Several news organizations asked court to unseal information leading to FBI search warrant for Mar-a-Lago
The Associated Press · Posted: Aug 15, 2022 5:52 PM ET | Last Updated: August 15
"The government's opposition came in response to court filings by several news organizations, including The Associated Press, seeking to unseal the underlying affidavit the Justice Department submitted when it asked for the warrant to search Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month.
The court filing — from Juan Antonio Gonzalez, the U.S. attorney in Miami, and Jay Bratt, a top Justice Department national security official — argues that making the affidavit public would "cause significant and irreparable damage to this ongoing criminal investigation."
The document, the prosecutors say, details "highly sensitive information about witnesses," including people who have been interviewed by the government, and contains confidential grand jury information.
But the Justice Department, in its filing Monday, argued that its investigation is active and ongoing and that releasing additional information could not only compromise the probe but also subject witnesses to threats or deter others from coming forward to cooperate with prosecutors.
"If disclosed, the affidavit would serve as a roadmap to the government's ongoing investigation, providing specific details about its direction and likely course, in a manner that is highly likely to compromise future investigative steps," the government wrote in the court filing."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/doj-opposes-trump-affidavit-1.6551909