Federal agents have raided the Maryland home of John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, on Friday morning as part of an investigation into the handling of classified documents.
The raid was allegedly carried out under a court-authorized warrant, with FBI Director Kash Patel later posting on X that “no one is above the law,” although he did not mention Bolton directly by name.
Attorney General Pam Bondi also chimed in after the raid, replying to Patel’s post, saying, “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”
Bolton, who served briefly in the Trump administration before stepping out as one of the President’s most vocal critics, was allegedly not detained or charged with any crimes after the search, per AP News.
The investigation reportedly relates to how Bolton handled sensitive or confidential documents, a long-running concern in Washington that has affected both parties.
Trump himself was raided by the FBI in a somewhat similar situation a few years ago. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, in August 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida as part of an investigation into classified documents allegedly taken from the White House.
In June of 2023, a federal grand jury indicted Trump on multiple counts related to “mishandling classified documents” and “obstruction of justice.” Trump pleaded not guilty and has maintained that the case is politically motivated. As of now, the case is still moving through the court system.
Bolton previously clashed with Trump over foreign policy and later published a memoir, The Room Where It Happened, that was later placed under a government review for possible disclosure of classified information. A federal judge eventually allowed the book to be released, but also suggested Bolton had “likely published classified materials.”
The Justice Department under then-President Biden later dropped its investigation into the book, a move Bolton previously called “a complete vindication,” while also previously telling reporters at Axios that, “they’re just giving up.”
With the new FBI search, however, questions have resurfaced over whether the “case is closed” for the former security adviser.
Bolton has also allegedly been a target of threats from Iran due to his hardline stance against the regime. In 2022, federal prosecutors charged an Iranian national in connection with a potential assassination plot against Bolton.