Newly unsealed court filings reveal that a total of eight search warrants were used to gather information in the classified records case against former President Donald Trump and his aide.
Previously, the public knew about just one of those search warrants, the one that was used to raid Mr. Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, on Aug. 8, 2022. A judge released a redacted (blacked-out) version of that record shortly after Mr. Trump revealed its existence last year.
But federal court records made public on July 25 show that authorities used seven additional search warrants in the investigation. The contents of those search warrants remain sealed, along with their accompanying affidavits–sworn statements justifying reasons for the searches.
In addition, the government released a less-redacted version of the original Mar-a-Lago affidavit, including a newly revealed photo of about 61 document boxes stacked in a storage room at the former president’s residence.The newly disclosed information sheds more light on the extent of the government’s probe of Mr. Trump. The documents also reveal that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is asserting that additional precautions are needed to ensure the safety of witnesses and others tied to the case.
“These concerns are particularly acute in this extraordinarily high-profile case in which law-enforcement personnel have already been targeted,” DOJ lawyers wrote.
No further details about that allegation are divulged in a 13-page, partially redacted court filing that the DOJ wrote in a filing (pdf) that was written June 30 and was unsealed July 25.
DOJ Interest Versus Public Interest
U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart’s unsealing order came in response to news media organizations’ efforts to pry the records loose. Media and public-interest groups originally filed the case nearly a year ago, seeking the Mar-a-Lago raid records.
In making his decision, the judge said he weighed the potential harm to the government versus the public’s right to access the records.
Mar-a-Lago is specifically named in one of the search warrants but all seven of the other search warrants and affidavits remain under seal.
Yet, based on information revealed separately in the criminal case against Mr. Trump, it is clear that authorities confiscated the cellphones of his aide, Walt Nauta, months ago.
The newly unsealed records show authorities sought to examine “premises, devices, and accounts” via eight search warrants.He made those remarks to Judge Aileen Cannon during a July 18 hearing, according to a transcript that The Epoch Times obtained.
During the court hearing, Mr. Woodward did not disclose the number of cellphones taken from Mr. Nauta.
Redactions No Longer Needed?
A coalition of news organizations argued that the June 8 unsealing of federal charges against Mr. Trump and Mr. Nauta should result in the release of an unredacted or less-redacted version of the Mar-a-Lago affidavit and search warrant. They also argued for the release of related records.
The DOJ did not object to unsealing portions of the records but said other information needed to remain undisclosed because of concerns for people’s safety and “still-secret matters that occurred before the grand jury.”
On June 12, the DOJ filed a sealed motion to share the eight search warrants “and supporting materials” with attorneys defending Mr. Trump and Mr. Nauta.
The DOJ, in a July 7 filing, objected to releasing certain information to the news organizations, noting that courts have traditionally been “highly deferential” to government requests to keep materials sealed.
The judge agreed with the DOJ on most of its contentions that the portions of records needed to be kept secret. The DOJ said it wanted to avoid revelations of “search warrants and investigative steps that the government never disclosed to the public.”
While some additional passages of the original search warrant used to raid Mar-a-Lago have now been revealed, large chunks of information on 15 pages of the 35-page record remain redacted.
May 2024 Trial
Mr. Nauta and Mr. Trump have both pleaded not guilty. Judge Cannon has set their trial for May 20, 2024, in the federal court where she is assigned, in Fort Pierce, Florida.
If that date sticks, Mr. Trump’s trial could finish just before the Republican National Convention, where he seeks to become the party’s presidential nominee for the 2024 election.The bulk of the charges in the indictment released last month, 31 counts, are aimed at Mr. Trump under the Espionage Act. As The Epoch Times previously reported, “most of the act is unrelated to espionage.” He is charged under a section that makes it unlawful to “willfully retain national defense information.”
Five charges accuse Mr. Trump and Mr. Nauta of concealing subpoenaed documents. In two separate counts, each defendant is accused of making false statements about the investigation.
Mr. Trump took presidential documents to his home at Mar-a-Lago, Florida; some had classification markings. He says all presidents in modern history have been allowed to spend time going through files that were taken out of the White House after their terms ended. They did so under the authority of the Presidential Records Act, he says. Mr. Trump also maintains that the Act gives the president sole authority to decide which records are declassified.
The former president, who also faces felony charges in New York, said he expects to be indicted in connection with the events of Jan. 6, 2021. On that date, violence erupted at the U.S. Capitol after a massive crowd of protesters came to Washington to show support for Mr. Trump’s dispute over the 2020 election.
Others Had Classified Docs, Too
Mr. Trump has never conceded to Democrat President Joe Biden. The incumbent president is the frontrunner for his party’s nomination for the 2024 ballot.
Alleging he is a target of political prosecutions, Mr. Trump says that federal agencies are treating Mr. Biden very differently than he has been treated.
Mr. Trump points out that Mr. Biden hasn’t been charged for possessing classified records from his time as vice president and as a U.S. senator, even though those positions lack the authority to declassify records.
An investigation into classified records possessed by Mr. Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, concluded without charges being filed. Both Mr. Pence and Mr. Biden have stated that they kept the records unknowingly.
A special counsel is continuing his investigation of Mr. Biden’s records.
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers say evidence is mounting to support an impeachment inquiry into Mr. Biden’s allegedly corrupt foreign dealings.
