Federal agents executed a search on Friday morning at the Maryland home of former National Security Advisor John Bolton, focusing on potential classified documents. FBI Director Kash Patel ordered the raid, emphasizing that no one is above the law. Agents were also seen at Bolton’s Washington, D.C., office, removing boxes, and Bolton was spotted in the lobby of the building.
The search is part of an ongoing investigation into the handling of classified information, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) playing a key role in the probe. The probe was initially launched under the Trump administration but was later discontinued by the Biden DOJ for political reasons, according to a senior U.S. official. The search follows a long-standing legal battle over Bolton’s 2020 memoir, ‘The Room Where It Happened,’ which the Trump DOJ sought to block due to potential classified content.
Bolton, who served as President Donald Trump’s national security advisor from 2018 to 2019, is not in custody or under arrest. The FBI’s search is focused on potential classified documents agents believe Bolton may still possess. CIA Director John Ratcliffe provided Patel with limited access to U.S. intelligence that served as the basis for the search warrant, a source familiar with the Bolton raid and the evidence used to justify it told Fox News Digital.
The probe into classified documents was first launched years ago but later shut down by the Biden administration