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The FBI agents raided former national security adviser John Bolton’s home in Maryland on Friday as part of a “national security investigation in search of “classified records”, several U.S. TV channels announced.
A federal magistrate judge in Maryland approved the search, while Bolton was not detained or charged so far with any crimes.
The operation is part of a high-profile investigation into allegations that Bolton used a private email server to transmit highly sensitive classified documents during his tenure in the White House.
The raid began at Bolton’s residence in Bethesda, where agents were seen entering the property and carrying boxes out over the course of several hours. Bolton’s wife, Gretchen Smith Bolton, was visibly shaken as she interacted with agents at the front door.
Later in the day, agents moved to Bolton’s downtown D.C. office, but waited for a judge to sign a warrant before entering.
The investigation was ordered by FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump loyalist who posted a cryptic message on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the raid began:
“NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission”
The investigation concerns the handling of classified materials and potential instances of such documents being used in leaks to news media, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The search was related to a criminal investigation that began during the Biden administration that did not go further at that time. U.S. intelligence agencies have chosen in the past not to pursue criminal leak prosecutions because the information involved is so sensitive that the agencies do not want it made public in court. It was not clear if that played a role in the Biden administration’s decision.
President Donald Trump told reporters that he is unaware of any details on the FBI’s raid on the home of former national security adviser John Bolton. Trump went on to call Bolton a “low-life” who is “very bad at what he does.”
Publication of Bolton’s memoir was delayed in 2020 as the White House reviewed its content. The administration sued Bolton in federal court claiming he breached his contract by failing to complete a pre-publication review for classified information.
The Justice Department in 2021 under President Biden closed its criminal investigation into whether Bolton disclosed classified information in his memoir.
The investigation centers on violations of federal laws governing the handling of classified information, including potential breaches of the Espionage Act and statutes related to unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense materials.
Bolton is notorious for his close ties with the Algerian regime and its Polisario separatist proxies.
Despite his sulphurous past, the Algerian military regime used him extensively in its hostile and smear campaign targeting Morocco and its territorial integrity.
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