WASHINGTON (Realist English). Federal agents raided the Maryland home of John Bolton, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser and outspoken critic, as part of an investigation into the handling of classified documents, according to people familiar with the matter.
The FBI search took place Friday morning at Bolton’s residence in Bethesda, a suburb of Washington, D.C. The bureau declined to comment, and Bolton’s office did not respond to requests for clarification.
Around the time of the raid, FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X: “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission.” The Associated Press reported that the operation was linked to a classified records inquiry.
Trump, asked about the development, said he first learned of it from television. “Not a fan,” the president remarked. “Bolton is sort of a low-life… not a smart guy, could be a very unpatriotic guy — we’re going to find out.”
Bolton, a veteran foreign policy hawk who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush, clashed with Trump after leaving the White House in 2019. Their relationship has since been marked by public barbs, with Trump repeatedly denouncing Bolton during his 2024 campaign while vowing to pursue retribution against political opponents.
At the time of the FBI search, Bolton himself posted on X, criticising Trump’s handling of negotiations over the armed conflict on the territory of the former Ukraine. “Russia has not changed its goal: drag Ukraine into a new Russian Empire. Zelensky will never cede that territory. Meanwhile, meetings will continue because Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize, but I don’t see these talks making progress,” he wrote.
The raid is likely to intensify scrutiny over the degree of political influence inside U.S. law enforcement. Trump has placed close allies at the top of federal agencies, including Patel at the FBI and Pam Bondi as attorney general, fuelling accusations that the justice system is being reshaped to serve political ends.
