Rep. Adam Schiff says unsealing FBI's Mar-a-Lago affidavit puts sources 'at risk' but 'the public interest is also real'

There are serious risks to unsealing the FBI affidavit used to authorize the search of Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago residence.

People coming and going from where the documents were located could be seen by witnesses, as well as the handling of those documents. He told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday that you could learn if the representations were true or not.

He said you could learn a lot. The problem is for the Justice Department. I believe their concern is legit. Those sources of information will be at risk if this affidavit is made public.

The documents were taken from the Florida property.

—CNN (@CNN) August 21, 2022

Trump could retaliate against anyone he considers a whistle-blower and accuse them of being traitors.

Someone went to an FBI building with an assault weapon and was shot to death by the FBI when they confronted him. The risks identified by the Justice Department are real.

The public interest is real as well. The question is when the public gets to see that affidavit.

"Anything that relates to a danger to the national security information contained in those documents, I hope will be shared with Congress," he said.

The conduct of the investigation should not be interfered with by Congress or anyone else. I want to make sure that we do our oversight but that we don't jeopardize the pursuit of justice.