Calls for transparency that don’t show up in court

Bobb’s quiet approach to Thursday’s hearing in Florida differed conspicuously from the tack taken by Trump, who has loudly insisted that DOJ release the unredacted affidavit underlying the search warrant executed at Mar-a-Lago. Several media organizations and conservative Judicial Watch filed motions with a federal magistrate judge to do just that.

But Trump never authorized his legal team to make that formal request.

His demand for the release of the affidavit was itself a shift. He and his team initially resisted public release of the search warrant itself, which they had access to on Aug. 8. Only after Attorney General Merrick Garland took the unusual step of moving to release the warrant did Trump start calling for transparency.

The public clamor that avoids an actual legal battle suggests Trump is treading cautiously — lest his legal team commit to a course of action he can’t take back later.