FBI raids former Trump national security advisor’s home

The home of President Donald Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton has been raided by FBI agents, Knewz.com can reveal. Federal agents and Montgomery County police descended upon Bolton’s Bethesda, Md., home as part of a “national security investigation in search of classified records.”

Around the same time federal agents were searching Bolton’s home, FBI Director Kash Patel fired off a cryptic message on social media. He posted on X, “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission.” Patel’s deputy director, Dan Bongino, echoed in his own X post, “Public corruption will not be tolerated.” Attorney General Pam Bondi reshared Patel’s post and added, “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”

FBI calls raid ‘court-authorized activity’

An FBI spokesperson said the FBI was “conducting court authorized activity in the area” and insisted there was “no threat to public safety” but would not comment on Bolton specifically. Bolton, 76, was not home when the raid took place, though a woman believed to be his wife was spotted at the house. After the search was underway, the former advisor was reportedly seen in the lobby of a Washington, D.C., building where he has an office. He spoke with two individuals in vests marked “FBI” and left shortly after, appearing to go upstairs.

Bolton became vocal Trump critic during first term

The same morning, Bolton posted about Trump, 79, on social media. He said the president would push for more meetings with Russia about the Ukraine war “because Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize, but I don’t see these talks making any progress.” Bolton served as Trump’s third national security advisor during the president’s first administration and has been a vocal critic of Trump since, after spending 17 months working in the West Wing. At the end of Trump’s first term, Bolton came under investigation for allegedly disclosing classified information in his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, which included stunning claims about the president’s lack of understanding of basic geopolitical facts and thirst for power.

Targeting political ‘enemies’

Trump’s Justice Department attempted to stop the memoir’s release, arguing it contained sensitive and classified information. Bolton’s lawyer insisted a National Security Council official cleared the manuscript after months of collaboration and concluded there was no classified information. The Justice Department abandoned the lawsuit and a separate grand jury investigation in 2021. During an appearance on ABC News before the raid, Bolton was asked if he was “worried” about Trump and Patel coming after him since the administration has been on a rampage of launching investigations into political “enemies.” Patel even named Bolton on his list of “members of the Executive Branch Deep State” included in his 2023 book, Government Gangsters. Bolton said the president has “already come after” him by taking away his personal security detail on Trump’s first day back in office, adding, “I think it is a retribution presidency.”