Justice Department asks not to disclose affidavit behind Mar-a-Lago search

Unsealing the document could reveal the scope of the inquiry against Donald Trump, whose team is rattled by recent events

The US Justice Department has asked a judge not to release the affidavit that gave the FBI probable cause to search Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, worsening distrust among top Trump aides casting about for any insight into the intensifying criminal investigation surrounding the former president.

The affidavit should not be unsealed because that could reveal the scope of the investigation into Trump's unauthorized retention of government secrets, the Justice Department argued, days after the Mar-a-Lago search warrant showed it referenced potential violations of three criminal statutes.