Merrick Garland says DOJ filed motion to unseal Trump Mar-a-Lago warrant and property receipt

In his first public statement since federal agents searched former President Donald Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago earlier this week, Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday said that the Justice Department had filed in court a request that the search warrant and property receipt from the search be unsealed.

Garland also said he "personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter."

He noted that the department did not comment on the search on the day that it occurred. He pointed out that the search was confirmed by Trump that evening. He said that copies of the warrant and the warrant receipt were provided to the Trump lawyers who were on site during the search.

"The Department filed the motion to make public the warrant and receipt in light of the former president's public confirmation of the search, the surrounding circumstances and the substantial public interest in this matter," Garland said. "Faithful adherence to the rule of law is the bedrock principle of the Justice Department and of our democracy. 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."

The statement comes after days of silence from the Justice Department with regard to the search, as is the department's normal practice for ongoing investigations. Garland stressed that some of the department's work must happen outside of public view.

"We do that to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and to protect the integrity of our investigations," he said, while explaining that he would not provide more detail about the basis of the search.