by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
BETHESDA, MD (Worthy News) – FBI agents executed a search warrant Friday morning at the Maryland home of John Bolton, former national security adviser under President Donald Trump, as part of an investigation into his handling of classified documents, according to multiple media outlets.
The raid took place around 7 a.m. at Bolton’s Bethesda residence and later at his Washington, D.C., office, where agents were seen removing boxes, Fox News Digital reported. A source told the Associated Press the search was tied to the long-running dispute over Bolton’s 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, which the Trump administration alleged contained sensitive national security information.
Federal Officials Hint at Operation
While the FBI declined to provide substantive comment, top officials appeared to acknowledge the raid online.
“NO ONE is above the law … @FBI agents on mission,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X shortly after the operation began. Deputy Director Dan Bongino echoed the message, saying, “Public corruption will not be tolerated.” Attorney General Pam Bondi added, “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”
Benjamin Wittes, editor-in-chief of Lawfare, livestreamed from outside the home, showing several federal vehicles and speculating the search was connected to the classified information probe over Bolton’s book. “I had thought this was closed,” he remarked.
A History of Clashes Over Bolton’s Memoir
Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, faced a Justice Department lawsuit during Trump’s first term over whether his memoir unlawfully disclosed classified material. Federal officials argued the book revealed sensitive intelligence methods and discussions with foreign leaders. A judge allowed its publication, though Trump later revoked Bolton’s security clearance and Secret Service protection, calling his actions “reckless.”
Bolton has insisted the book went through a months-long National Security Council review that cleared it of classified content. He has accused Trump of weaponizing the Justice Department against him.
President Biden’s DOJ dropped the lawsuit in 2021, but Trump’s return to the White House has revived scrutiny of the case. Sources told Fox News that CIA Director John Ratcliffe provided Patel with limited access to intelligence materials used to justify Friday’s warrant.
Trump and Bolton: Allies Turned Rivals
Once a key player in shaping Trump’s hawkish foreign policy–most notably the withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018–Bolton clashed repeatedly with the president over North Korea, Afghanistan, and troop levels in Syria. Trump fired him in 2019, later labeling him a “warmonger.”
Since leaving the administration, Bolton has become one of Trump’s sharpest critics, warning against a second Trump presidency in 2024 and accusing him of undermining NATO and emboldening U.S. adversaries.
At the same time, Bolton has supported some Trump-era policies, including the June 2025 military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, which he hailed as “decisive.”
Bolton Not Charged, But Probe Widens
Bolton has not been arrested or charged. A spokesperson for the former diplomat declined to comment.
The raid underscores the Trump administration’s broader efforts to revisit past disputes with outspoken critics. Federal officials have recently launched investigations into other Trump adversaries, including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and New York Attorney General Letitia James, though both deny any wrongdoing.
Bolton, who also served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush, has long faced threats from Iran following the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani. In 2022, the Justice Department charged an Iranian operative with plotting to assassinate him.
For now, Bolton remains free–but the federal spotlight on his handling of classified material has returned in dramatic fashion.
Reporting contributed by Worthy News staff and wire services.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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