U.S. Justice Department asked the court to declassify the search warrant for Trump’s Florida home

The U.S. Department of Justice has asked a federal court to declassify a search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s Florida home in connection with an investigation into his handling of White House documents.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the request, saying he personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in connection with the ongoing investigation.

In his first public statement about the controversial search at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago residence by the FBI on Monday, Garland said the decision to declassify the warrant and seizure document given to Trump’s representatives came after Trump publicly reported the search.

As a result of the search, FBI agents seized about a dozen boxes of documents related to Trump’s presidency.

Republicans condemned the search, saying the Justice Department was being used as a weapon against the former president.