The US Justice Department has confirmed that investigation over alleged mishandling of classified documents by former president Donald Trump was ongoing, releasing the redacted affidavit of Mar-a-Lago search.
The federal judge had ordered the Justice Department to release the redacted version submitted in the court.
According to the released affidavit, criminal investigation over the storage of classified information in unauthorized spaces along with the concealment of government records was ongoing. The released document also said that 15 boxes of documents were received from the former president’s office in January by the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The documents containing National Defence Information (NDI) were among the material recovered.
It has also stated that there were still records containing classified NDI at Trump’s house.
The release of documents was opposed by the Justice Department on grounds that future investigative steps would be compromised but media organizations had asked for the release of the document on basis of utmost public interest.
US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart had ordered the issue of redacted documents saying that portions of the affidavit could be unsealed.
The Republicans have strongly criticized the Justice Department and the FBI accusing that the Biden administration was without evidence of investigating Trump for political reasons. Trump has again termed the search of his house ‘total public relations subterfuge’ by the FBI and the Justice Department.
The search warrant was released on August 12. President Biden had denied that he had prior knowledge of the search.
