ABC News reports a source familiar with the investigation says the Justice Department and FBI believe Trump kept classified documents that had national security implications.
Former President Donald Trump called late Thursday for the "immediate" release of the federal warrant the FBI used to search his Florida estate, hours after the Justice Department had asked a court to unseal the warrant, with Attorney General Merrick Garland citing the "substantial public interest in this matter."
Additional sources told ABC News that part of the information investigators were looking for included material labeled "Special Access," which is accessible only by the highest level security clearances only available to a specific, limited number of individuals. "The public's clear and powerful interest in understanding what occurred under these circumstances weighs heavily in favor of unsealing," said a motion filed in federal court in Florida on Thursday.
In this case, according to a person familiar with the matter, there was substantial engagement with Trump and his representatives prior to the search warrant, including a subpoena for records and a visit to Mar-a-Lago a couple of months ago by FBI and Justice Department officials to assess how the documents were stored. The person was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Justice Department has until Friday afternoon to alert the judge about whether Trump will object to the release. "Much of our work is by necessity conducted out of the public eye. We do that to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and to protect the integrity of our investigations," he said. "Federal law, longstanding department rules and our ethical obligations prevent me from providing further details as to the basis of the search at this time."