FBI Raids John Bolton’s Home and Office in Classified Documents Probe

WASHINGTON: The FBI on Friday searched the Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office of John Bolton, former national security adviser under President Donald Trump, as part of a criminal investigation into the possible mishandling of classified information, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Bolton, a longtime Republican figure who became a vocal critic of Trump after his 2019 dismissal, has not been arrested or charged. The searches mark the most significant step yet by the Justice Department in a case involving a former senior official once at the center of Trump’s national security team.

The raids come amid heightened scrutiny of critics of the former president. Bolton, who clashed with Trump over Iran, Afghanistan, and North Korea, previously faced government claims that his 2020 memoir contained classified material. That investigation was later dropped under the Biden administration.

Bolton was seen at his Washington office building as FBI agents carried out the search, transporting bags through a back entrance. Neither Bolton’s spokesperson nor his attorney offered immediate comment, while the Justice Department declined to confirm the operation.

In public remarks, Trump denied orchestrating the searches but defended law enforcement’s authority, saying, “I could know about it. I could be the one starting it. I’m actually the chief law enforcement officer. But I feel that it’s better this way.”

The investigation, authorized by a federal magistrate judge, echoes earlier high-profile classified document cases involving Trump, President Joe Biden, and former Vice President Mike Pence. None of those cases have resulted in charges against Biden or Pence, though Trump continues to face political fallout over the 2022 Mar-a-Lago search.

Bolton, who also served as U.S. ambassador to the UN under George W. Bush, has dismissed past allegations as politically motivated. His memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” painted Trump as dangerously uninformed on foreign policy, sparking one of the sharpest breaks between the ex-president and a senior adviser.

Vice President JD Vance told NBC News that Bolton was not being targeted for his political views, saying, “If there’s no crime here, we’re not going to prosecute it. If there is, Ambassador Bolton will get his day in court.”