The US District Court for the Southern District of Florida released on Friday a redacted affidavit and related explanatory files associated with the FBI’s raid of ex-President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. 
 
The court released an affidavit's redacted copy with a memorandum clarifying the US government’s justification for the redactions. The government argued against releasing an unredacted affidavit, citing fears of participation from future witnesses and the efficacy of its investigation. 
 
The affidavit claims that an FBI investigation established there was probable reason to believe that more sensitive records may have been improperly kept at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, prompting the raid. 
 
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) sent the Justice Department a referral in February after a preliminary review of 15 boxes of records found at Mar-a-Lago as classified records intermixed and improperly identified. After reviewing the referral, the FBI opened a criminal investigation. 
 
According to the affidavit, the FBI’s probe found that classified documents containing National Defense Information (NDI) were stored at an unauthorized location. The investigation found reason to believe that additional classified records and evidence of obstruction of justice could be found at the Mar-a-Lago, the affidavit said. 

Related News

Trump’s DC crime lie fits an old pattern of statistics disinformation

Trump announces another 90-day pause on China tariffs

Read: Source alerts FBI to potential classified documents at Mar-a-Lago: WSJ
 
"Further, there is probable cause to believe that additional documents that contain classified NDI or that are Presidential records subject to record retention requirements currently remain at [Mar-a-Lago]," it said. "There is also probable cause to believe that evidence of obstruction will be found at the premises." 
 
The affidavit added that the probe led investigators to believe that the Mar-a-Lago storage room, residential suite, office, and other rooms are not authorized for the storage of classified data or NDI. The affidavit was used to back a probable cause for a search warrant of the residence, which was ultimately granted. 
 
The release of the 38-page affidavit, much of which was redacted at the government's request to protect the ongoing investigation, caused the US government’s "PACER" legal document filing system to temporarily crash.
 
Earlier this month, the FBI raided the Mar-a-Lago residence and seized more boxes of material potentially containing classified as well as other sensitive documents. The raid was condemned as politically motivated and a "weaponization" of the Justice Department by Trump and other top Republicans.

Trump sued the US government over the FBI's raid and search of his Mar-a-Lago estate. His aim is to initiate this bid to stop the federal agency from delving into the material seized from him until a special court official can be appointed to review the documents in question. He also asked for a special master, or a third-party attorney, to supervise the review of evidence collected from the beach club in the criminal probe.

Analysts told Sputnik following the raid that the FBI's raid on former US President Donald Trump's home has only strengthened his positioning in the next presidential election in 2024 in case federal law enforcement authorities fail to convict him on felony charges.
 
The investigation comes alongside a congressional probe into the former president's alleged connection to the US Capitol breach on January 6 of last year in an attempt to protest certification of the 2020 presidential election in favor of President Joe Biden. Trump has similarly condemned the panel’s investigation.