By Aaron Miller-
A U.S judge is about to hear arguments from Donald Trump for releasing Mar- A- Logo search documents.
The justice department had originally objected to efforts to unseal the 13 page document, arguing that doing so would “jeopardize the integrity of this national security investigation” into Trump’s handling of some of the government’s most closely held records after leaving the White House.
Prosecutors were strongly of the opinion that such a revelation would pose a real risk of revealing the scope of the investigation into Trump’s unauthorized retention of classified White House records.
The probable cause the FBI has to search Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort contained sensitive information about witnesses who are key and acknowledged that its investigation involved “highly classified material”.
Bruce Reinhart, the federal magistrate judge who signed off on the search warrant, is to decide whether to publish the affidavit, which would provide more details about the investigation and the FBI’s search of Trump’s private residence. Trump and his allies, including some members of Congress, have also pushed for the release of the affidavit.
“The affidavit would serve as a roadmap to the government’s ongoing investigation, providing specific details about its direction and likely course,” prosecutors wrote. They also argued that releasing the document could compromise the continuing investigation.
“Disclosure of the government’s affidavit at this stage would also likely chill future cooperation by witnesses whose assistance may be sought as this investigation progresses, as well as in other high-profile investigations,” prosecutors added
Meanwhile, Donald Trump responded to reports that he and his team are concerned about his lawyers’ lack of experience, by stating that he is very happy.
The Department of Justice has rebuffed demands to release the affidavit, warning that it could “chill” future efforts to secure witness cooperation.
It comes as his son, Eric Trump, pushed a false propaganda that his father was the first president in US history to not start a war while in office.
This false statement, which became so widely repeated in 2021 it prompted multiple news outlets to conduct fact-checks disproving the claim, was parroted by the former president’s son during a Wednesday appearance on Newsmax.
“He’s anti-war … he didn’t want to go to war,” Eric Trump told host Eric Bolling of his father. “He’s the first president in the United States history that didn’t start a war.”.
Donald Trump on Thursday denied reports that he or his inner circle are concerned by his current legal team’s lack of experience dealing with the sort of complex federal litigation he could face if indicted for crimes related to his alleged unlawful retention of classified documents.
Over the 10 days since his Palm Beach, the former president’s Florida home was searched by FBI agents, Mr Trump’s associates have raised concerns that the stable of lawyers who’ve been representing him in a variety of lawsuits since he left office is not up to the job. Multiple news outlets have reported on the unease with his current representation among some of his aides, including The Independent and The Washington Post.
Mr Trump took to his own Truth Social platform to refute the Post report at 1.33 am on Thursday, writing that it was “fake news”.
As the court awaits to hear Trump’s reasons for approving the unsealing of the document Trump Organization CFO and close associate of Donald Trump Allen Weisselberg has pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges under a plea deal.
Under a plea deal, Mr Weisselberg will serve 5 months in prison and 5 years’ probation, as well as agreeing to testify against the Trump Organization in proceedings focused on the same alleged fraud scheme.