美国司法部周一在一份新的法庭文件中表示，它反对包括美国广播公司新闻在内的多家媒体机构解封前总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)Mar-a-Lago庄园现已公开的搜查令背后的支持宣誓书。
“仍然有令人信服的理由，包括保护正在进行的涉及国家安全的执法调查的完整性，支持将宣誓书密封，”文件称。
在一个脚注中，该部门官员写道，他们“仔细考虑”了他们是否可以发布经过节录的宣誓书，但“减轻对调查完整性的损害所必需的节录将如此广泛，以至于剩余的未密封文本缺乏有意义的内容，发布这样一个节录版本将不符合任何公共利益。”
然而，如果治安法官下令部分启封宣誓书，“政府恭敬地请求有机会向法院提供拟议的修订。”
Local law enforcement officers patrol in front of the home of former President Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Aug. 9, 2022.
乔治·维耶拉/法新社
该部门还表示，它不反对公开与搜查令有关的其他材料，“这些材料的公开不会危及这项国家安全调查的完整性”，但为了保护政府人员，会进行一些小的编辑。这将包括“与搜查令申请相关的封面页、政府的查封动议和法院的查封令。
政府已经封存了这些文件，并要求法院解封。
检察官进一步解释了他们要求密封基本宣誓书的原因，他们指出，这“将作为政府正在进行的调查的路线图，提供有关其方向和可能路线的具体细节，这种方式极有可能损害未来的调查步骤。”
他们简要详述了治安法官Bruce Reinhart审查过的宣誓书中的一些信息，指出"除其他极其重要和详细的调查事实外，宣誓书中还载有:关于证人的高度敏感信息，包括政府约谈的证人;特定调查技术;以及法律要求保密的信息。
“此外，鉴于此事的高调性质，以及披露证人身份可能会影响他们配合调查的意愿，关于证人的信息尤其敏感，”检察官指出，这突显了在搜查Mar-a-Lago后执法威胁增加的故事。
“在现阶段披露政府的证词还可能会让证人在未来的合作中退缩，随着调查的进展，以及在其他高调的调查中，可能会寻求他们的协助，”文件称。“调查涉及高度机密材料的事实进一步强调了保护调查完整性的必要性，如果信息过早或不当披露给公众，会加剧潜在的伤害。”
检察官说，启封还可能影响那些其行为在基本宣誓书中有详细说明的人的公民自由。
DOJ opposes news media request to unseal Trump search affidavit, calls it 'roadmap' to criminal investigation
The Justice Department said in a new court filing Monday that it opposes an effort by multiple media organizations, including ABC News, to unseal the supporting affidavit behind the now-public search warrant for former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.
"There remain compelling reasons, including to protect the integrity of an ongoing law enforcement investigation that implicates national security, that support keeping the affidavit sealed," the filing states.
In a footnote, department officials write that they "carefully considered" whether they could release the affidavit with redactions, but the redactions necessary to "mitigate harms to the integrity of the investigation would be so extensive as to render the remaining unsealed text devoid of meaningful content, and the release of such a redacted version would not serve any public interest."
However, if the magistrate judge were to order the partial unsealing of the affidavit, "the government respectfully requests an opportunity to provide the Court with proposed redactions."
The department also says that it does not object to the unsealing of other materials filed in connection with the search warrant, "whose unsealing would not jeopardize the integrity of this national security investigation," but with minor redactions to protect government personnel. This would consist of "cover sheets associated with the search warrant application, the government's motion to seal, and the Court's sealing order.
The government has filed those under seal and is asking the court to unseal them.
Further explaining their request to keep the underlying affidavit sealed, prosecutors note it "would serve as a roadmap to the government’s ongoing investigation, providing specific details about its direction and likely course, in a manner that is highly likely to compromise future investigative steps."
They briefly detail some of the information in the affidavit that has been reviewed by Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, noting that, "it contains, among other critically important and detailed investigative facts: highly sensitive information about witnesses, including witnesses interviewed by the government; specific investigative techniques; and information required by law to be kept under seal" under grand jury rules.
"In addition, information about witnesses is particularly sensitive given the high-profile nature of this matter and the risk that the revelation of witness identities would impact their willingness to cooperate with the investigation," prosecutors note -- highlighting stories regarding an increase in threats to law enforcement that has followed the search of Mar-a-Lago.
"Disclosure of the government’s affidavit at this stage would also likely chill future cooperation by witnesses whose assistance may be sought as this investigation progresses, as well as in other high-profile investigations," the filing states. "The fact that this investigation implicates highly classified materials further underscores the need to protect the integrity of the investigation and exacerbates the potential for harm if information is disclosed to the public prematurely or improperly."
The unsealing could also impact the civil liberties of those whose actions are detailed in the underlying affidavit, prosecutors said.
