Judge Reinhart, whose name you may recall was on the search warrant for Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, just gave a slap across the face to Merrick Garland and the Biden administration.
Donald Trump wants the affidavit released, but the DOJ wants to keep it sealed to protect its case and informants.
Well, Reinhart just said tough cookies, and ordered the affidavit unsealed, handing Trump a perceived victory.
Game On
Reinhart’s decision stated, “The Government argues that even requiring it to redact portions of the Affidavit that could not reveal agent identities or investigative sources and methods imposes an undue burden on its resources and sets a precedent that could be disruptive and burdensome in future cases.
“I do not need to reach the question of whether, in some other case, these concerns could justify denying public access; they very well might.
“Particularly given the intense public and historical interest in an unprecedented search of a former President’s residence, the Government has not yet shown that these administrative concerns are sufficient to justify sealing.”
You see, Reinhart is now protecting his own butt, knowing that as long as the affidavit provided reasonable cause, he is covered.
If the DOJ misled him, as it did during the Trump FISA warrants, that is on the DOJ.
Trump jumped all over this, already making a move to hold the DOJ legally accountable.
Trump has filed a legal motion for an independent review of his documents.
Trump, on Truth Social, wrote, “My rights, together with the rights of all Americans, have been violated at a level rarely seen before in our country.”
I would suspect this is just the first such filing by Trump, as I suspect he would eventually file a case for an unwarranted and/or illegal search by the government.
As I have stated before, Merrick Garland better come up with something big, or he will be in serious hot water for having weaponized the DOJ and its assets against a political opponent, not to mention the former president of the United States.
