Federal agents stormed the Maryland residence of former National Security Advisor John Bolton early Friday morning, seizing boxes of potential evidence in an ongoing classified documents investigation.
Law enforcement sources confirmed agents entered Bolton’s Bethesda home around 7 a.m. Minutes later, FBI teams were also seen removing materials from Bolton’s Washington, D.C., office, where Bolton himself was spotted in the lobby.
The searches centered on suspicions that Bolton may still be holding onto classified documents, according to one source familiar with the matter.
Justice Department Signals No Exceptions
The operation was ordered by FBI Director Kash Patel, who hinted at the move with a cryptic post shortly after the raid.
“NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission,” he wrote, without naming Bolton directly.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino echoed the warning, declaring, “Public corruption will not be tolerated.”
Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi added, “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”
Trump Caught Off Guard
Former President Donald Trump, who appointed Bolton as his national security advisor in 2018, claimed he only learned of the raid while watching television.
“He’s not a smart guy, but he could be very unpatriotic,” Trump said. “I mean, we’re going to find out. I know nothing about it. I just saw it this morning.”
Later, Trump delivered an even harsher assessment.
“I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s a real, sort of low-life,” Trump said, before noting that foreign leaders once feared Bolton’s hawkish reputation.
“He was one of the people who forced Bush to do the ridiculous bombings in the Middle East. And he always wants to kill people,” Trump added.
Trump concluded, “And he’s very bad at what he does … I’d walk into a room with him, with a foreign country would give me everything because they said, oh no, they’re going to get blown up because John Bolton was there.”
CIA Intel Sparked the Warrant
According to one insider, CIA Director John Ratcliffe provided Patel with limited intelligence that served as the foundation for the FBI’s warrant.
“I can’t give you any more details than that, but let’s just say that John Bolton really had some nerve to attack Trump over his handling of classified information,” the source said.
When reached for comment, a staffer at Bolton’s office answered the phone, replied, “Have a nice day,” and then hung up.
A History of Classified Controversy
The search marks a dramatic turn in a years-long dispute over Bolton’s handling of sensitive government information.
In 2020, the Trump administration tried to block publication of Bolton’s memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” claiming it revealed classified material. A federal judge allowed its release anyway.
Justice Department lawyers argued the book disclosed sensitive U.S. intelligence sources, diplomatic conversations, and foreign policy deliberations.
By June 2021, however, the Biden administration dropped both a criminal inquiry and civil lawsuit against Bolton. At the time, Bolton’s attorney said the manuscript underwent a four-month security review and was cleared of containing classified information.
The memoir offered a blistering portrayal of Trump’s presidency, including the claim that Trump once “pleaded” with China’s Xi Jinping to help his reelection campaign.
Bolton vs. Trump: A Rocky Relationship
Trump ousted Bolton in 2019, citing deep disagreements on policy. Since then, Bolton has alternated between condemning and applauding Trump.
In 2022, Bolton blasted Trump’s handling of classified records, calling for the legal process to run its course after the FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. At the time, he argued Trump lacked “the competence and character to be president.”
But when Trump launched a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities last year, Bolton called it “a decisive action,” “the right thing to do,” and praised its potential to bring “huge change in the Middle East.”
Retaliation and Iranian Threats
Trump stripped Bolton of Secret Service protection immediately after taking office again as the 47th president, a move Bolton said revealed Trump’s intent to punish him.
“I think it is a retribution presidency,” Bolton told ABC earlier this month.
The former advisor has long faced threats from Tehran, particularly after the U.S. strike in January 2020 that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. In 2021, the Justice Department revealed a plot by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps to assassinate Bolton.
What Comes Next
Despite the dramatic raid, Bolton has not been arrested or charged. For now, questions remain about what agents found inside his home and office, and whether it will reignite one of Washington’s most bitter rivalries.
