FBI Raids John Bolton’s Home, Reports Say

Topline

Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the home of former National Security Advisor John Bolton—who served during President Donald Trump’s first administration but has since become critical of the president—in Bethesda, Maryland, early on Friday, according to reports, as FBI Director Kash Patel made a cryptic social media post about no one being above the law.

Former National security adviser John Bolton served in the White House during a part of Trump’s first term, but he has since become a vocal critic of the president.

Key Facts

According to the New York Post, which first reported the purported raid, Bolton was being targeted as part of a high-profile national security probe.

Reports of the raid were also confirmed by CNN, which also reported that Bolton was “unaware of the FBI activity” at his Bethesda, Maryland, residence, and he is looking into it further.

Sources cited by The New York Times said the investigation into Bolton concerns “whether he illegally shared or possessed classified information,” and CNN reported the administration is reopening a previous investigation from Trump’s first term into whether Bolton disclosed classified information in his 2020 book “The Room Where It Happened.”

ABC News reported a federal magistrate judge in Maryland signed off on the search, but the Associated Press reports the former advisor has not been charged with any crimes.

While the agency has not issued a statement, FBI Director Kash Patel made a cryptic post on X, saying “NO ONE is above the law…FBI agents on mission”—which Attorney General Pam Bondi then shared, adding, “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”

Bolton has not yet publicly responded to the probe but had been posting on social media as the search of his home reportedly began, writing at 7:30 a.m. EDT about Trump’s effort to facilitate talks between Russia and Ukraine and saying, “Meetings will continue because Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize, but I don’t see these talks making any progress.”

What To Watch For

The search at Bolton’s home is likely to take at least a few more hours, CNN projected, and it’s unclear how any probe into the former national security advisor will play out from here. It’s also unclear when any court documents regarding the government’s search warrant may be unsealed, which would reveal more information about the reasoning behind going into Bolton’s home.

Surprising Fact

The probe into Bolton comes just a few weeks after the former national security advisor was asked on ABC News about the possibility that the Trump administration could seek revenge against him, given his repeated criticism of President Donald Trump. Bolton suggested the administration had already “come after me,” citing Trump pulling his security detail, and told ABC, “I think it is a retribution presidency.”

News Peg

The FBI’s search comes as Bolton has ramped up criticism of the Trump administration in recent weeks amid Trump’s efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine and recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Bolton told ABC Trump had made “mistakes” even before his meeting with Putin, for instance, and said on CNN on Thursday he thought the Trump administration had “emboldened” Moscow by suggesting it would not further sanction Russia while talks are ongoing. Trump has hit back at Bolton in response, describing him on Truth Social as “really dumb” and chastising the media for letting the former advisor comment on his Putin meeting.

Who Is John Bolton?

Bolton is a Republican-leaning expert on national security and international relations, who previously served as the ambassador to the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration before joining the first Trump administration as national security advisor from 2018 to 2019. He went on to become an outspoken Trump critic after leaving the White House, and published a book in 2020, “The Room Where It Happened,” that was heavily critical of the president. Trump has repeatedly lashed out against Bolton as a result over the years, and the president’s first administration took action on multiple occasions to seek retribution against Bolton for his book. The DOJ initially sued to block publication of the book, alleging it had not undergone the proper review process for classified information. When the government failed to stop the book from coming out, it also opened a criminal inquiry into whether Bolton disclosed classified information in his book, which is what CNN reports the government is now reopening. Bolton has long denied any wrongdoing and that his book contained any classified information, with his lawyer Charles J. Cooper saying in 2020, “Ambassador Bolton emphatically rejects any claim that he acted improperly, let alone criminally, in connection with the publication of his book, and he will cooperate fully, as he has throughout, with any official inquiry into his conduct.”

Key Background

The search into Bolton’s home comes after Trump has long suggested he wants to get retribution against his enemies, including through the Justice Department. Trump reportedly sought to appoint officials who would be more “loyal” and willing to go after his enemies, and named Patel as FBI Director after the former right-wing commentator had publicly published an “enemies list” of government figures whom he thought should face consequences. While the massive FBI presence at Bolton’s home Friday marks the administration’s largest show of force against a Trump critic thus far, the Justice Department has launched other probes into perceived Trump enemies, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.