Back to the Washington Nationals Newsfeed

Justice Department feared Trump would destroy evidence if search warrant weren’t secret

Justice Department officials urged a federal judge to keep under wraps the search warrant used in the FBI raid of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, fearing he would destroy evidence, according to court documents unsealed Thursday.

In a motion filed three days before more than 30 armed agents stormed Mr. Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida, residence, the Justice Department said a public search warrant “poses a risk to [the] safety” of the materials sought in the investigation.

“The United States believes there is good cause [to keep the warrant sealed] because the integrity of the investigation might be compromised and evidence might be destroyed,” wrote Juan Antonio Gonzalez, the U.