The FBI raid of former national security adviser John Bolton's home and office was reportedly due to a federal investigation for allegedly sending "highly sensitive" classified documents to his wife and daughter via a private email server while serving during the first Trump administration.
The FBI raided Bolton's Bethesda, Maryland, home and his Washington, D.C., office Friday as part of a revived probe led by FBI Director Kash Patel, and sources told Newsmax the raid comes under a sweeping national security investigation that included the potential mishandling of classified documents. Agents arrived at Bolton's residence around 7 a.m. and later entered his Washington office after a judge signed a search warrant.
"NO ONE is above the law... @FBI agents on mission," Patel posted on X in a thinly veiled swipe at Democrats who used that identical phrase regarding President Donald Trump's indictments.
Federal investigators are determining whether Bolton, 76, sent classified information to his family while still in office prior to being dismissed in September 2019, law enforcement sources told the New York Post.
"While Bolton was a national security adviser, he was literally stealing classified information, utilizing his family as a cutout," one senior U.S. official said.
The probe was initially opened in 2020 amid controversy over Bolton's tell-all memoir "The Room Where It Happened," but officials were "trying to prosecute this case for four years, and the [Biden Justice Department] shut it down," according to the Post source.
"[Prosecutors] talk about the book [in the warrants] because it's good color for him already having essentially broken the law," the source told the Post, "but we're not prosecuting him for that — absolutely 100% nothing to do with the book.
"All these people have been wrapping their heads around an axle about, 'Oh, they're really relitigating the book?'" the official went on, reacting to media speculation throughout the day Friday. "The book investigation is over. Who gives a [expletive]?"
Trump, who fired Bolton after months of clashes over foreign policy, told reporters Friday he was not informed in advance of the raids.
"I know nothing about it," Trump said during an Oval Office media session. "I just saw it this morning."
Trump began the day by labeling Bolton a "lowlife" but said he served his purpose in his administration.
"He's not a smart guy, but he could be a very unpatriotic guy," Trump added. "We're going to find out."
Bolton has not been arrested or charged with a crime. The former ambassador to the U.N. posted on X a critique of Trump's Russia-Ukraine war negotiations just before his home was raided.
The warrants underpinning the raids have not been unsealed, and the scope of the charges Bolton could face remains unclear.
Patel has vowed to aggressively pursue leaks and the mishandling of classified documents, telling reporters earlier this week that the FBI would be "cleaning house" after years of political controversies.
Bolton's security clearance and Secret Service protection were revoked when Trump returned to office in January.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.