SOURCE BBC NEWS
A US judge has ordered investigators to release a redacted version of court papers that convinced him to authorise a search of Donald Trump’s estate.
The public version of the affidavit, a document that includes the evidence gathered by prosecutors, could reveal new details about the inquiry.
The Department of Justice had opposed releasing an uncensored version amid its ongoing investigation.
The FBI search was part of a probe into the potential mishandling of documents.
According to the search warrant, the FBI wanted to see if Mr Trump committed a crime by improperly handling government records when he took them from the White House to Mar-a-Lago as his administration ended.
US presidents are required to transfer documents and emails to the National Archives when they leave office.
The former US president has denied wrongdoing and insists the classified files that investigators say were found in Florida had already been declassified by himself.
On Thursday, US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the affidavit to be released with redactions by noon (16:00 GMT) on Friday.
He said prosecutors had demonstrated a “compelling reason” to black out parts of the document, which would reveal the identities of witnesses, law enforcement agents and uncharged parties, as well as “the investigation’s strategy, direction, scope, sources and methods”.
