Release of the Trump search warrant affidavit was a big blunder
The release was a dramatic departure from the normal secrecy afforded an affidavit supporting a search warrant application and put the investigation into Trump at risk.
UPDATE (Aug. 26, 2022, 4:20 p.m. ET): This story has been updated throughout to reflect that a copy of the redacted FBI affidavit used to justify a search of Mar-a-Lago has been released.
On Friday afternoon, the Justice Department unsealed a redacted version of the affidavit that supported the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. The move came the day after Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart approved the release.
It’s an outcome that should have been avoided.
Even this partial disclosure of the affidavit is an extraordinary blunder. Such an order is a dramatic and ill-conceived departure from the normal secrecy afforded an affidavit supporting a search warrant application, especially at an early stage of an investigation.
During a hearing last week, the government had vehemently argued against the release of any parts of the affidavit. The hearing occurred after news organizations, including NBC News, asked for its release.
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