Watching this Trump document story unfold is kind of infuriating because of all the disinformation and factual errors when it comes to warrants and investigations, so here is a little primer for those that don't have a lot of knowledge when it comes to criminal investigations:

First, plenty of intelligence experts have weighed in with consistent comments about Trump's possession of these Top Secret documents: unequivocally they have consistently stated it IS unlawful for him to possess them and he can't simply wave a wand and declare all things "unclassified."

Second, the reason for the warrant was that Trump would not RETURN what the DOJ KNEW he had.  The DOJ had to go and get what they KNEW he had in his possession. Not only that, he was given several opportunities to return documents he had in his possession unlawfully.

Third, the warrant spells out the search for what documents and where these documents could be.  The warrant EXPLICITLY states any location under Trump's control where a document could be located was open to search.  So think of that - that means anywhere a piece of paper in Trump's control could have been placed was open to search.  And yes, this would include his wife's underwear drawer in a shared bedroom. The warrant signed by a Trump-appointed judge authorized it.

Fourth, the importance of the passports was they were with unlawful documents and show such documents were in the control and possession of Trump.  To illustrate, in law enforcement investigations when it comes to searching for evidence, it is always preferable to find some sort of personal property indicating the control of the suspect or target over the sought-after contraband.  For example, things like finding a telephone bill or other papers with a person's name on it alongside the contraband in a desk drawer indicate possession or knowledge of the existence of the contraband. 

Fifth, images of the spread-out documents were purely done to illustrate what was found and where it was found.  It was simply to document that those documents were found and where they were found and spread out to illustrate the number of items found - photographs like that are not taken to embarrass but to visually document.  It would be like if the bounty of a shoplifter was found in a garbage bag beneath the suspect's bed - the contents would be pulled out for photographic exhibits for later use in court if need be.  Just like drugs. 

Sixth, the reason the affidavit is redacted and must be redacted until later is that it contains investigative information that if revealed now could jeapardize the future investigation.  For example, releasing it prematurely would be similar to a prosecutor being forced to give up the questions he or she might ask during a trial beforehand or a police detective letting a suspect read a case file prior to questioning.  Of course, this document will be provided in full to defense attorneys prior to any trial due to courtroom discovery rules.

Seventh, and lastly, to accuse FBI agents of corruption in a blanket-type manner for simply doing their jobs is ridiculous, especially when it comes to the number of them involved.  True law enforcement professionals could not care less when it comes to the influence of outside factors when it comes to an investigation like this.  The agents in this investigation will be the most dedicated group of people around and who are there to do their job.  These types of people care more about the process and are not going to jeopardize their reputations or this case by horseshit.  Now, this is not to say that there are no FBI people capable of misconduct, but when it comes to cases like this, they seldom purposely fuck them up due to political sympathies or affiliations.  I feel confident stating that the agents involved in this investigation are those agents with the deepest level of dedication to justice and the procedure of justice.