The US Department of Justice says releasing details about the warrant used to raid Donald Trump’s Florida home last week could cause “irreparable damage” to its investigation.

It wants to keep the affidavit, a court document showing the evidence required to obtain the warrant, under wraps.

FBI agents searched Mar-a-Lago to find out if Mr Trump improperly handled government records when he left office.

It was the first time an ex-president’s home was raided in a criminal probe.

Eleven sets of classified files were recovered from the search one week ago at the estate in Palm Beach, according to the warrant, which was released on Friday.

Now, several news organizations have applied to have the affidavit unsealed. But prosecutors said on Monday that such a move would “cause significant and irreparable damage to this ongoing criminal investigation”.

“If disclosed, the affidavit 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 wrote in a court filing.

They also said the affidavit must stay sealed because the inquiry involves “highly classified materials”.