A collection of search warrant applications and other materials from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation were made public with redactions on Monday, according to a federal judge’s ruling.
All told, the ruling encompasses 499 search warrants, 179 requests for disclosure of electronic communications, and 21 orders requiring the use of pen register, a device that records all numbers from particular phone lines. In total, the records span the length of the special counsel’s probe which began in 2017 and finished earlier this year.
The disclosures account for a large amount of Mr. Mueller’s work. His team executed nearly 500 search warrants, obtained more than 230 orders for communications records and received almost 50 orders authorizing the use of pen registers.
Despite making the material public, Chief Judge Beryl Howell also ordered heavy redactions shedding little light on their purpose or even detailing the case for which they were obtained.
Most of the case captions are sealed, indicating they may relate to ongoing matters.
“Upon review of the government’s submission, the government’s proposed redactions will be applied to the lists of limited information about sealed dockets to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations,” Judge Howell wrote. “With those additional redactions, the court will release limited information for sealed non-grand jury matters, including case numbers, filing dates and redacted captions related to the special counsel’s investigation.”
Judge Howell issued the order in response to a lawsuit by CNN and other media outlets seeking the release of court records.
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