The United
States Department of Justice (DoJ) has asked a judge to not release the
affidavit that provided the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probable
cause to search former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. The DoJ
argued the affidavit should not be unsealed because it could reveal the scope
of investigation into Donald Trump’s retention of government documents.

The DoJ’s
argument to not release the affidavit has created greater distrust among Trump
aides who alleged that the investigation against the 45th President
of the United States is politically-motivated.

Also Read | Why DOJ opposed to unsealing Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago search affidavit

One week
ago, FBI agents seized 20 boxes from Donald Trump’s Florida home. Several of
these boxes contained material either marked secret or top secret.

The search
warrant produced by the FBI referenced the Espionage Act which outlaws unauthorised
retention of national security information that could harm the US or aid an
adversary.

DoJ’s
argument:

The
Department of Justice said “the affidavit would serve as a roadmap to the government’s
ongoing investigation, providing specific details about its direction and
likely course.” The DoJ, however, did not oppose unsealing a cover page and a
sealing order that would not harm the criminal investigation.

Also Read | Donald Trump’s litany of scandals: A timeline

“The fact
that this investigation implicates highly classified materials further underscores
the need to protect the integrity of the investigation and exacerbates the potential
for harm if information is disclosed to the public prematurely or improperly,”
the DoJ said.

What has
Trump been saying?

Donald
Trump has asked for a return of some of the documents. In a post on his own
social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote: “By copy of this Truth, I
respectfully request that these documents be immediately returned to the
location from which they were taken. Thank you!”

Also Read | Ally Rudy Giuliani reveals Donald Trump’s first reaction to FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid

Trump has
also denied wrongdoing on his part. Fox News reported FBI seized boxes “containing
records covered by attorney-client privilege and potentially executive
privilege.”

Trump wrote
on TRUTH Social: “Oh great! It has been learned that the FBI, in its now famous
raid of Mar-a-Lago, took boxes of privileged attorney-client material, and also
‘executive’ privileged material, which they knowingly should not have taken.”