US federal magistrate judge Bruce Reinhart said the Justice Department by August 15 must respond to a motion to unseal the warrant used to search former President Donald Trump’s home in Palm Beach, Florida.
On Monday, FBI agents raided Trump’s Mary-a-Lago residence as part of a probe that involves a search for classified materials he allegedly took with him upon leaving the White House. Many Republicans demanded the details of the warrant be made public and have even threatened to launch a probe into the Attorney General’s office and department’s handling of the matter.
“On or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern time [9:00 p.m. GMT] on August 15, 2022, the Government shall file a Response to the Motion to Unseal,” a copy of the order posted by Judicial Watch, the group that filed the lawsuit, said on Wednesday.
The judge also said the response may be filed ex parte and under seal to avoid disclosing matters already under seal. In that event, the government must file a redacted response in the public record, he added.
On Tuesday, Judicial Watch said they asked the court to unseal the warrant, itself signed off by Reinhart, after the raid, which the organization called an “unprecedented abuse of power,” by the Biden administration.
Trump said the search was a coordinated attack by Democrats and local officials who do not want him to run for president in 2024. The former president in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday said the FBI would not let his lawyers observe the search.
