Republicans are stepping up their pressure to release an FBI affidavit that would show authorities’ justification for raiding and seizing documents at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, Florida, home.
The warrant released after the investigation found that Trump had 11 folders of classified documents at his residence and that the Justice Department had “reasonable cause” to conduct the search based on possible violations of the Espionage Act.
Republicans are now seeking the release of more detailed information that convinced a federal judge to issue the search warrant, which may reveal the sources who provided the information as well as details about the nature of the documents and other classified information. Unsealing such affidavits is highly unusual and would require approval from a federal judge.
“I think the release of the affidavit would help, or at least confirm that there was justification for this raid,” Republican Sen. Mike Rounce told NBC.
“The Justice Department is going to have to show that this wasn’t just a fishing spree, but that they had reason to go in and do this, and that they exhausted all other means,” he said, adding that “and if they can’t they do that, then we have a serious problem ahead of us.”
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Rep. Mike Turner, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN on Sunday that the Biden administration should provide more details about what led to the raid.
“Congress is saying, ‘Show us. We want to know what the FBI told them. What did they find?” Turner said.
Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, declined to comment on the affidavit today, Sunday.
He said it was “more troubling” that Trump continued to keep the classified documents despite the Justice Department’s request for their return.
“It appears to be intentional on the president’s part to keep these documents because the government has asked for them back,” he told CBS.
Source: Capital
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