Judge schedules hearing on motion to unseal Trump search warrant
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. (TND) — The same federal judge who approved the warrant to search former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence scheduled a Thursday hearing to discuss a motion to unseal an affidavit containing the evidence that authorized the warrant's execution.
The hearing was set by Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart and will be held at 1:00 p.m. in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Reinhart is expected to hear arguments from both sides regarding whether the search warrant should be unsealed. No remote or telephone appearances are reportedly permitted.
On Monday, the Justice Department asked the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida not to unseal the warrant, insisting that "disclosure at this juncture of the affidavit supporting probable cause would, by contrast, cause significant and irreparable damage to this ongoing criminal investigation."
The Justice Department also fears revealing the search warrant and its accompanying materials would reveal the identities of potential cooperating witnesses and violate grand jury secrecy rules.
Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch and nearly a dozen news organizations have been seeking more information on the unprecedented raid of the former president's home, according to The New York Post.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social late Monday night, Trump called for the release of the search warrant and the affidavit that led to its securement.
There is no way to justify the unannounced RAID of Mar-a-Lago, the home of the 45th President of the United States (who got more votes, by far, than any sitting President in the history of our Country!), by a very large number of gun toting FBI Agents, and the Department of 'Justice,'" Trump wrote in his post. "But, in the interest of TRANSPARENCY, I call for the immediate release of the completely Unredacted Affidavit pertaining to this horrible and shocking BREAK-IN. Also, the Judge on this case should recuse!"
Last week, Judge Reinhart unsealed a search warrant and accompanying property receipt from the raid, which both the Trump camp and the Justice Department agreed should be made public.
