Washington (EFE).- The FBI searched the home and office of former National Security Adviser John Bolton on Friday as part of an investigation into the alleged mishandling of classified documents, according to United States officials and media reports.
The raids took place at Bolton’s residence in Bethesda, Maryland, and at his office in downtown Washington.
Federal agents entered Bolton’s office hours after conducting an early-morning raid on his Maryland home.
The operation, which began around 7:00 am, sought to determine whether United States President Donald Trump’s former adviser illegally shared or retained classified information, sources familiar with the probe told US outlets.
The FBI confirmed it was “conducting authorized activity in the area” but did not provide further details.
Photos showed a heavy police presence around Bolton’s residence.
FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X that “NO ONE is above the law” and said agents were on a “mission,” though he did not explicitly mention Bolton.
Deputy Director Dan Bongino added that “public corruption will not be tolerated.”
Neither Bolton nor his representatives have publicly commented on the searches.
Trump reacts, calls Bolton “a pretty nasty guy”
Asked about the investigation, Trump told reporters he knew “nothing” about it and had only learned of the raids from television.
“I told the attorney general, Pam Bondi, I don’t want to know, but they’ll have to do what they have to do,” Trump said during a public appearance near the White House.
On Bolton personally, Trump was blunt: “He’s a pretty nasty guy. I don’t like him. He’s a very quiet person, unless he’s saying something bad about Trump on TV. Not a smart person, maybe very unpatriotic, we’ll find out.
So far, no court documents authorizing the searches have been made public.
Bolton’s history of clashes with Trump
Bolton, who served as Trump’s third national security adviser from Apr. 2018 to Sep. 2019, has long been a vocal critic of his former boss’s foreign policy.
Trump dismissed him at the time, accusing the hawkish diplomat of trying to push the US toward military action against Iran.
Bolton was previously at the center of a legal battle when the Trump administration attempted to block the publication of his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, claiming it contained classified material.
The effort failed, and the book went on to become a best-seller, offering an unflattering account of Trump’s past presidency.
In recent years, Bolton has frequently appeared in media interviews criticizing Trump’s approach to international relations, particularly his 2018 summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Bolton has claimed Putin was manipulating Trump to advance Moscow’s interests. EFE
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