News lead: Garland also said he “personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this matter.”

“The department does not make such a decision lightly. Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to an investigation and to narrow the scope of any investigation,” Garland said.

The big picture: The FBI on Monday searched Trump’s Florida residence in something likely related to documents Trump took from the White House that may have been classified, two sources familiar with the matter told Axios’ Jonathan Swan .

When a search warrant is sought for a prominent figure, such as a former president, “it goes through a long review process,” Gene Rossi, a former federal prosecutor, told Axios.

Details: “Both the warrant and the FBI’s proof of ownership were provided on the day of the search to counsel for the former president, who was on site during the search,” Garland said.

 The Justice Department unsealed the search warrant signed and approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida on August 5, “including Attachments A and B” and “the redacted proof of ownership containing items seized pursuant to the investigation, filed with the Court on August 11, 2022.” “In these circumstances involving a search of a former President’s residence, the Government hereby requests that the Court unseal the Notice of Deposit and its attachment (Entry 17), absent objection by former President Trump,” the filing states.

State of play: Garland also faced “baseless attacks on DOJ agents and prosecutors” after the investigation.

“I will not remain silent when their integrity is unfairly attacked. The men and women of the FBI and the Department of Justice are dedicated patriotic public servants every day.” “Every day they protect the American people from violent crime, terrorism and other threats to their security while protecting our civil rights.” “They do it at great personal sacrifice and at great risk to themselves. It’s an honor to work with them,” he said.

Trump said in a Truth Social post Thursday after Garland’s press conference that Mar-a-Lago was raided “out of nowhere and without warning” by “very large numbers of agents.” He maintained that he and his representatives were fully cooperating.

“The government could have whatever it wanted if we had it,” he said. “They got way ahead of themselves,” he added.

Between the lines: Hours before Garland’s comments, a gunman tried to break into the FBI building in Cincinnati, prompting a lockdown in the nearby area. What it says: “Loyal adherence to the rule of law is a fundamental principle of the Justice Department and our democracy. Upholding the rule of law means applying the law uniformly, without fear or favor,” Garland said.

“Much of our work is necessarily conducted away from the public eye. We do it to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and to protect the integrity of our investigations.”

Go deeper: The Presidential Records Act and the Trump search explained Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.