A federal magistrate judge in Florida is ordering the Department of Justice (DOJ) to respond to a request for materials undergirding the warrant targeting Mar-a-Lago.
Judge Bruce Reinhart ruled on Wednesday in favor of Judicial Watch, the Albany Times Union, and The New York Times’ request that the warrant allowing the DOJ to search former President Donald Trump’s primary residence be made public. The DOJ has until Aug. 15 to either make the warrant materials public or file a response to the motion, according to Judicial Watch. FBI agents raided Mar-a-Lago on Monday, reportedly in search of documents showing that Trump violated laws regarding the handling of classified materials.
“Given the political context, and the highly unusual action of executing a search warrant at the residence of a former President and likely future political opponent, it is essential that the public understands as soon as possible the basis for the government’s action,” Judicial Watch wrote in support of the motion to unseal.
Judge Orders DOJ to Respond to @JudicialWatch’s Motion to Unseal Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant Materials by 5p.m. EST on August 15 – https://t.co/0qX5Nl6otF
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) August 11, 2022
Under federal law enforcement procedure, officials would have provided the warrant to whoever let them into Mar-a-Lago to conduct the search, making it likely that Trump and his attorneys have possession of the warrant. They have not released it, nor have federal officials, according to The Washington Post. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Ron Johnson Calls For FBI, DOJ Employees To Come Forward With Info On Trump Mar-A-Lago Raid)
Many Republicans have argued that the Mar-a-Lago raid constitutes an abuse of power, while others have claimed that the search is a good reason to renominate Trump as the GOP nominee in the 2024 presidential election. More than 75% of Republicans and 50% of independents believe that the raid was politically motivated, a poll conducted by The Trafalgar Group and the Convention of States found. More than 80% of Republicans and 70% of independents are more motivated to vote in the midterms as a result of the search, according to the same poll.