Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday that he had personally approved the decision for the FBI to seek a search warrant to raid former President Donald Trump s Mar-a-Lago home on Monday.

The Department of Justice has moved to make the warrant public, he said, citing the clear public interest in the investigation.

Law enforcement authorities had been searching for any potentially sensitive classified government documents that had been improperly kept at Mar-a-Lago, according to reports that the Department of Justice appeared to confirm Thursday in a court filing .

The spectacle of executing a search warrant at the home of a former president led to speculation that the contents of the possible materials were highly sensitive. Garland declined to give any detail about what the FBI may have found at the Florida resort.

Federal law, longstanding department rules and our ethical obligations prevent me from providing further details as to the basis of the search at this time, Garland said.

There are, however, certain points that I want you to know, he continued.

First, I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter. Second, the department does not take such a decision lightly. Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search and to narrowly scope any search that is undertaken.

A federal judge reviewed the evidence at hand and approved the search warrant, as is the usual procedure.

Yet some conservatives have painted the search as politically motivated, which has led to an uptick in threats against the FBI that Director Christopher Wray called deplorable.

Garland also pushed back on those characterizations Thursday particularly what he termed the recent unfounded attacks on the FBIs dedicated, patriotic members.

Garland did not specifically mention the threat against the FBIs Cincinnati offices made Thursday morning, and it is still unclear whether that incident is related to the backlash against the raid.

Rather, the attorney general hit back on allegations of misconduct. In the wake of the raid, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) specifically called out Garland in a public statement, saying Republicans would launch an investigation into the matter that would leave no stone unturned.

Faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Department and of our democracy, Garland said Thursday. Upholding the rule of law means applying the law evenly without fear or favor. Under my watch, that is precisely what the Justice Department is doing.