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Donald Trump in New York, two days after the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago
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DAVID DEE DELGADO / REUTERS
A Florida judge has ordered the partial release of documents authorizing the search warrant of ex-President Donald Trump's home.
Judge Bruce Reinhart at a hearing Thursday ordered the Justice Department to make redaction proposals next week, US media consistently reported from the courtroom.
Several media had requested publication.
The Department of Justice, however, had argued that this could affect future investigations and the cooperation of witnesses.
It is considered very unlikely that the entire documents will become public.
The filings are likely to contain important details about the Justice Department's investigation.
They are the basis for the search warrant that the FBI federal police used to search Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach earlier this week.
At the same time, the judge approved the release of some procedural documents.
The Justice Department opposed the publication.
Jay Bratt, the head of the counterintelligence division, told the judge that releasing the documents was not in the public interest as it could harm the ongoing investigation.
This is still at an early stage - with highly sensitive grand jury material.
"There is another public interest at stake, and that is the public interest in allowing criminal investigations to proceed unhindered," he said.
In Mar-a-Lago, the FBI also found and seized top-secret documents.
Trump argued that he released the documents at the time.
Incumbent presidents do have far-reaching powers to lift secrecy.
But for the release of documents there is a formal procedure with several highly official steps.
Sol/dpa/Reuters
