The affidavit that allowed the FBI to raid the Mar-a-Lago residence of former President Donald Trump should not be made public, according to the Justice Department.
Donald Trump spoke at a retreat at Camp David.
The 13-page filing was made in response to media outlets requesting that the affidavit be released.
Lawyers wrote that keeping the affidavit sealed is important to protect the integrity of the investigation.
Highly sensitive information about witnesses is included in the affidavit, along with specific investigative techniques, they said.
Lawyers wrote that witnesses may be hesitant to come forward if they know that people they testify against will be aware of their testimony.
Lawyers wrote that revealing the specific contents of a search warrant affidavit could alter the investigation's trajectory, reveal ongoing and future investigative efforts, and undermine agents' ability to collect evidence or obtain truthful testimony.
The application for a warrant for the Mar-a-Lago raid was debated for weeks by the Attorney General. Threats against the FBI have gone up since the search on Trump's home.
The search warrant was released by the justice department. According to the warrant, the FBI is looking into whether Trump violated three federal statutes that prohibit the destruction, removal or mismanagement of government documents. According to Trump, the FBI seized three of his passports, which were not mentioned in the warrant or other documents, during the search.
The FBI took Trump's passports during the raid.
The search warrant in the FBI's Trump Mar-A-Lago raid was not made public.
The FBI is investigating whether Trump violated three statutes.
Trump said that FBI agents searched Mar-A-Lago in an "unannounced raid".
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