US DOJ resists release of affidavit that can uncover reasons behind raid at Trump's home

The US Justice Department (DOJ) resisted the release of an affidavit which would reveal the reasons that investigators gave to the federal magistrate judge for the authorisation of last week’s sudden raid on former US President Donald Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago. A CNN report stated that in the latest filing for some sort of continued secrecy around the move, the Justice Department made clear the seriousness of the ongoing criminal probe and said it “implicates highly classified materials”. 

"Disclosure of the government's affidavit at this stage would also likely chill future cooperation by witnesses whose assistance may be sought as this investigation progresses, as well as in other high-profile investigations," the Justice Department wrote, as per the report.

It reportedly added, "The fact that this investigation implicates highly classified materials further underscores the need to protect the integrity of the investigation and exacerbates the potential harm if information is disclosed to the public prematurely or improperly."

Media organisations, including CNN had asked the Justice Department to uncover the affidavit in the aftermath of the unprecedented raid at Trump’s Palm Beach club and residence. It is to note that within the Justice Department, the FBI is responsible to the attorney general and the agency’s at least 30 officials searched Mar-a-Lago for over nine hours. However, in response to American media outlets’ request, the Justice Department had said that unsealing the affidavit “at this juncture” would “cause significant and irreparable damage to this ongoing criminal investigation”, as per the report.

"The redactions necessary to mitigate harms to the integrity of the investigation would be so extensive as to render the remaining unsealed text devoid of meaningful content, and the release of such a redacted version would not serve any public interest," the Justice Department stated after CNN and other US media outlets asked the judge last week to unseal all documents. 

"Not since the Nixon Administration has a President been the subject of such a dramatic and public criminal process," the outlets said in the filing, adding that the outlets are "attempting to shed light on the federal government's unprecedented actions and motivations."

"Here, there could not be a more 'historically significant event' than an FBI raid of a former President's home for the alleged removal of national security records after leaving office," the outlets said.

Trump warns FBI over raid at his home

Meanwhile, Trump, who initially lambasted “Radical Left Democrats” for the raid at his home, issued a warning to the FBI saying “terrible things are going to happen” if the country’s temperature is not toned down. He also said that the agents “could have planted anything they wanted”.

"People are so angry at what is taking place," Trump told Fox News Digital on Monday. "Whatever we can do to help— because the temperature has to be brought down in the country. If it isn't, terrible things are going to happen."

Image: AP