Washington: A US judge has ordered investigators to release an edited version of court papers that authorized the August 8 search of Donald Trump’s Florida estate. The public version of the affidavit, a document that includes the evidence gathered by prosecutors, could reveal new details about the inquiry. On Thursday, US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the redacted affidavit to the released by Friday at 4 pm local time, BBC reported. Head said prosecutors had demonstrated a “compelling reason” to black out parts of the document, which would reveal the identities of witnesses, law enforcement agents, and uncharged parties, as well as “the investigation’s strategy, direction, scope, sources, and methods”.
The ruling came shortly after the justice department confirmed that it had submitted to the judge a copy of the affidavit with proposed redactions. The Department of Justice had opposed releasing an uncensored version amid its ongoing investigation. Even in redacted form, the affidavit could provide clues as to why Trump allegedly took classified documents with him in the chaotic final days of his presidency and what he did with them while they were stored in Palm Beach, the BBC added.
