The Federal Bureau of Investigation searched the home of John Bolton, former national security adviser and longtime critic of President Donald Trump, early Friday morning in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.
According to the New York Post, which first reported the raid, agents arrived at 7 a.m. local time. An FBI spokesperson later confirmed that the bureau was conducting “court-authorised activity” in the area but declined to provide further details.
FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump nominee, posted on X shortly after the operation began: “NO ONE is above the law … @FBI agents on mission.” He did not directly name Bolton in the message.
Bolton, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and later as national security adviser during Trump’s first term, could not immediately be reached for comment. CNN reported that he said he was unaware of the law enforcement activity and was still gathering information.
The reasons for the search remain unclear. Bolton has previously clashed with Trump and other senior officials, particularly after leaving the White House in 2019. His memoir, The Room Where It Happened, published in 2020, painted a highly critical picture of the former president and prompted the Trump administration to launch a lawsuit and criminal investigation over claims the book contained classified information. A federal judge rejected an attempt to block publication, and both the lawsuit and investigation were abandoned under the Biden administration in 2021.
The search comes at a politically charged moment. Since returning to office in January, Trump has repeatedly signaled his intention to use presidential power to pursue his critics, framing it as a campaign promise of “political retribution.” Bolton has remained an outspoken opponent, frequently questioning Trump’s fitness for office and his foreign policy decisions.
Just last week, following Trump’s high-profile summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Bolton told CNN that Putin had “clearly won” the meeting. While Trump “did not lose,” Bolton said, he appeared “very tired” and failed to secure meaningful progress on Ukraine.
Bolton has also been critical of FBI Director Patel, telling NBC’s Meet the Press last December that the Senate should reject Patel’s nomination “100-0.” Despite this opposition, Patel was confirmed and has since overseen several high-profile investigations.
Bolton, who once enjoyed Secret Service protection after U.S. officials revealed Iranian threats against him, saw those measures withdrawn by Trump during his earlier term in office.
As of Friday, the Justice Department has not disclosed the grounds for the raid, leaving questions over whether the search relates to past disputes over Bolton’s memoir, his criticisms of the president, or other classified matters.
