FBI raids the home of former Trump adviser John Bolton
FBI agents raided the home of President Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton in the early hours of Friday, August 22.
Agents went to Mr Bolton’s DC-area home as part of a high-profile national security probe, ordered by FBI Director Kash Patel.
The raid is reportedly part of a “national security investigation in search of classified records”, although further details are currently unknown.
Patel seemingly hinted at the raid ahead of time, in an X post on Friday morning.
“NO ONE is above the law…@FBI agents on mission,” he posted.
Patel’s tweet was reposted by Attorney General Pam Bondi, writing: “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”
According to initial reports by the New York Post, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the Bethesda, Maryland property at 7am local time.
Mr Bolton served as national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, during Trump’s first term, but has since become an outspoken critic of Trump.
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He faced criticism over his 2020 book, “The Room Where It Happened”, with claims that it included classified information. President Trump said the content violated an NDA and attempted to prevent publication at the time, but was ultimately unsuccessful in doing so.
An inquiry into the book was opened by the Justice Department during Trump’s first term, but was shut down in 2021 under the Biden administration for “political reasons”, according to a senior US official.
Mr Bolton has had a tumultuous relationship with the current President since the initial inquiry, often appearing on US news outlets to criticise foreign policy decisions taken by the President. Trump has repeatedly criticised him in return, saying he “blew up the Middle East” and is “stupid”.
Recently, Mr Bolton took aim at a report by Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, that accused former president Barack Obama of engaging in a “years-long coup” against Trump.
The former security adviser posted on X whilst FBI agents were inside his home, criticising Trump’s approach to the Russian war on Ukraine, although it is unclear whether this was previously scheduled.
The raid is another example of the Trump administration cracking down against potential political enemies, with the National Guard patrolling the streets of the US capital only last week after the president seized the police department.
