The FBI is searching the Maryland home of John Bolton, who served in President Donald Trump’s first administration as national security adviser but later became critical of the president, as part of an investigation into the handling of classified documents, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
The person was not authorized to discuss the investigation by name and spoke on the condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Bolton was not detained and has not been charged with any crimes, the person said.
Messages left with a spokesperson for Bolton and the White House were not immediately returned. A lawyer who has represented Bolton had no immediate comment Friday.
The Justice Department also had no comment, but leaders appeared to cryptically refer to the search in a series of social media posts Friday morning.
FBI Director Kash Patel, who in a 2023 book he wrote included Bolton in a list of “members of the Executive Branch Deep State,” posted on X: “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission.” Attorney General Pam Bondi shared his post, adding: “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”
The search of Bolton’s home comes as the Trump administration has taken steps to examine the activities of other perceived adversaries of the Republican president, including by authorizing a grand jury investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.
Bolton served as Trump’s third national security adviser for 17 months and clashed with him over Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea. He faced scrutiny during the first Trump administration over a book he wrote about his time in government, “The Room Where it Happened,” that officials argued disclosed classified information, but the Justice Department in 2021 abandoned its lawsuit and dropped a separate grand jury investigation.
Bolton’s lawyers have said he moved forward with the book after a White House National Security Council official, with whom Bolton had worked for months, had said the manuscript no longer contained classified information.
On his first day back in office this year, Trump revoked the security clearances of more than four dozen former intelligence officials, including Bolton. Bolton was also among a trio of former Trump officials whose security details were canceled by Trump earlier this year.
