Justice Department Ordered to Unseal Warrant Used in FBI Raid in Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago Home
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The Justice Department has been ordered to respond to motions to unseal the warrant issued on the FBI raid conducted in former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
The magistrate judge, Bruce Reinhart, ordered the Justice Department to file a response to motions to unseal from Albany Times Union and conservative group Judicial Watch, according to a Daily Mail report. Reinhart noted that the Justice Department's response may be redacted to "avoid disclosing matters under seal."
The DOJ was given until Monday to respond.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation agents had conducted an unannounced visit to Trump's home in Mar-a-Lago as part of a probe into whether he took classified White House documents upon the end of his presidency.
Trump's son, Eric Trump, claimed that FBI agents would not hand over a copy of a search warrant.
READ NEXT: Donald Trump Says FBI Agents Raided Mar-A-Lago Home; Agency's Visit Unannounced
FBI Raid Search Warrant
Eric Trump noted that 30 FBI agents arrived at the property and asked staff to turn security cameras off. However, they refused.
The former president's son also said that an attorney was forced to stand at the end of the Mar-a-Lago driveway while an FBI raid was happening inside.
Agents were also accused of using safe crackers to break into Trump's safe.
He further claimed that a copy of the search warrant was shown to his father's lawyer, Christina Bobb, from about 10 feet away.
Judicial Watch wrote in its motion that is probing the "potential politicization" of the FBI and Justice Department and whether they are "abusing their law enforcement powers" to harass a possible political opponent.
The Gazette noted that the judge involved in the case, Reinhart, left his job as an assistant U.S. attorney in 2008. The following day, he started representing some of Jeffrey Epstein's employees.
He was accused by two of Epstein's victims of leaving the DOJ to provide inside information to the sexual offender. Reinhart denied the allegations.
Mar-a-Lago FBI Raid
A number of Trump supporters had gathered across the street from his private residence in Palm Beach, Florida by Monday night.
Some Republican governors have also condemned the FBI raid of Trump's home, even supporting the former president's message that the Justice Department was being used against him, as reported by The New York Times.
The search seems to be mainly focused on possibly classified material he took from the White House to his Palm Beach Home.
Trump said in a statement that it was a "weaponization of the justice system" as part of an effort to prevent him from running for president again in 2024.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, said in a statement he posted online that he has seen enough, adding that the DOJ has "reached an intolerable state of weaponized politicization."
Meanwhile, Justice Department officials have refused to comment on any aspect of the search warrant issued at Mar-a-Lago.
The department has also declined to say if Attorney General Merrick B. Garland approved the warrant or was even briefed about the incident.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: FBI raids Trump's Mar-a-Lago property amid DOJ probe - from USA TODAY