Former President Donald Trump criticized the heavily redacted affidavit from the Department of Justice when seeking a search warrant for the FBI raid of his Mar-a-Lago home.
“The release of a heavily redacted, overtly political affidavit only proves that the Biden administration is desperate to cover up their unprecedented, unnecessary, and un-American raid against President Donald J. Trump,” the president said in a statement.
Twenty-three pages of the 38-page affidavit unsealed by a federal judge on Friday had redacted information, including more than ten pages that were entirely blocked out:
Pages from the affidavit by the FBI in support of obtaining a search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate are photographed Friday, Aug. 26, 2022. U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the Justice Department to make public a redacted version of the affidavit it relied on when federal agents searched Trump’s estate to look for classified documents (AP Photo/Jon Elswick).
“This is a grave travesty, and what is unredacted only further supports President Trump’s position, there was NO reason for a raid – it is all politics!” Trump wrote.
On social media, Trump spoke further about the contents of the affidavit, noting there was no mention of “nuclear” weapons, as was previously suggested in news reports featuring anonymous sources speaking about the contents of the documents recovered during the raid.
Trump also criticized Judge Bruce Reinhart for signing the warrant, noting the judge had recused himself in an earlier lawsuit filed by the former president against failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee.
“He recused himself two months ago from one of my cases based on his animosity and hatred of your favorite President, me,” Trump claimed. “What changed? Why hasn’t he recused himself on this case?”
Trump claimed that Reinhart was biased and should have recused himself.
“Obama must be very proud of him right now!”
Reinhart donated $1,000 to Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and $1,000 more to the Obama Victory Fund, according to campaign records.
“WITCH HUNT!!!” Trump concluded.
