The FBI conducted an early-morning raid at the home of President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, outside of Washington, D.C. on Friday.
FBI director Kash Patel posted on X (Twitter) during the morning, hinting about the raid: “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission.”
The Independent confirmed the ongoing search at Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland. The Independent observed multiple law enforcement vehicles parked outside with FBI agents standing by the door as agents moved in and out of the residence. The Associated Press reported the case involves the handling of classified documents. A case file on federal court sites remains sealed.
Bolton did not immediately respond to a text message request for comment. His longtime attorney, Charles Cooper, also did not respond to a request for comment.
Bolton served as national security adviser from 2018 to 2019 but has since become an outspoken critic of Trump, particularly regarding his approach to Russia.
Most recently, Bolton blasted Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s report that accused former president Barack Obama of engaging in a “years-long coup” against Trump. During Trump’s meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Bolton said that Trump would surrender Alaska to Russia.
On Friday morning, Bolton tweeted about an interview he did with NPR about Russia.
“Russia has not changed its goal: drag Ukraine into a new Russian Empire,” he tweeted. “Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede territory it already holds and the remainder of Donetsk, which it has been unable to conquer. Zelensky will never do so. Meanwhile, meetings will continue because Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize, but I don’t see these talks making any progress.”
Trump, for his part, has regularly and loudly criticized Bolton, calling him “stupid” and saying that he “blew up the Middle East”.
The raid is just the latest example of the Trump administration ramping up legal actions against the president’s perceived enemies. Last week, Trump seized the Washington, D.C. police department and ordered the National Guard to patrol the streets of the nation’s capital.
In response to repeatedly debunking claims that crime increased in Washington, the Department of Justice reportedly began to investigate whether the police department manipulated data about crime.
Earlier this week, Trump called for the resignation of Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, reportedly for committing mortgage fraud. New York Attorney General Letitia James also faces an investigation after she conducted a fraud investigation into the president. On Thursday, an appeals court tossed out the multi-million dollar fraud penalty against Trump in a case about falsified business documents.
Members of former president Joe Biden administration’s National Security Council also saw their security clearances revoked last week. In February, Trump revoked Biden’s security clearance and stopped his daily intelligence briefings in a clear move of retaliation against his former opponent.
Trump has also targeted multiple law firms, including the one where former FBI director Robert Mueller, who led the special counsel investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, worked.
Trump whines he won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize while weighing US strike on Iran
Ukraine war latest: Putin-Zelensky summit ‘not ready at all’ in blow to Trump
DOJ releases Ghislaine Maxwell interview amid wait for Epstein Files: Live updates
Photos of FBI searching the home and office of John Bolton, a former Trump adviser turned critic
