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By Hugh Cameron
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Top officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have reacted after feds raided the home of former national security adviser John Bolton.
"NO ONE is above the law... @FBI agents on mission," FBI Director Kash Patel posted to X on Friday. Deputy Director Dan Bongino reposted Patel's comments alongside the caption: "Public corruption will not be tolerated."
While neither directly mentioned Bolton, a member of President Donald Trump's first-term administration, their comments came shortly after the New York Post reported that the FBI had launched a raid of Bolton's residence in the Washington, D.C. area. Citing an unnamed official in the administration, the Post reported that this was prompted by a years-long national security probe into Bolton involving classified documents.
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When reached by telephone, an assistant to Bolton at the Foundation for American Security and Freedom hung up after Newsweek asked about the raid. Further attempts to call went straight to voicemail. Newsweek has also contacted Bolton's representatives via email for comment.
Repeated calls to the FBI were picked up but ended by the receiver before anyone spoke.
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Why It Matters
While details on the raid remain scarce, it is one of the most high-profile actions taken by the Department of Justice against a public opponent of the president, and comes amid a wider series of legal attacks on Trump's political foes over alleged mortgage fraud.
Bolton served as national security adviser between 2018 and 2019. Trump said he fired Bolton, who in 2020 he called "one of the dumbest people in government that I've had the 'pleasure' to work with," but Bolton maintains that he quit his post. Since that time, Bolton has emerged as one of the president's most vocal critics, primarily attacking his foreign policy and most recently his approach to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump, meanwhile, revoked Bolton's security clearance shortly after returning to the White House, despite ongoing threats to the ambassador's life from Iranian state actors.
What To Know
Following the original report from the New York Post, CNN heard from an anonymous source familiar with the matter that the FBI was conducting a "court-authorized search" at Bolton's home. The outlet observed a handful of agents going inside the property.
Photos and footage captured on Friday morning show police vehicles and officers outside Bolton's home in the D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.
The Associated Press reported that Bolton was in Washington, D.C. after the raid had begun, and was seen speaking to two people with "FBI" logos on their vests.
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Bolton had previously faced criticism from for allegedly disclosing classified information in his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened. Prior to its June release, the Trump administration had attempted to block the release of the book on the grounds that it contained sensitive information concerning national security.
A federal judge declined to block the publication but said the rushed release meant Bolton had "likely published classified materials."
"Defendant Bolton has gambled with the national security of the United States," Judge Royce C. Lamberth said in his ruling. "He has exposed his country to harm and himself to civil (and potentially criminal) liability."
The DOJ later launched a criminal inquiry into the book. His lawyer at the time, Charles J. Cooper said Bolton rejected "any claim that he acted improperly, let alone criminally, in connection with the publication of his book."
The case was dropped by the Biden administration in 2021.
Newsweek has contacted Cooper via email for comment on Friday's FBI raid.
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What People Are Saying
The FBI, in a statement to CBS News, said: "The FBI is conducting court authorized activity in the area. There is no threat to public safety. We have no further comment."
President Donald Trump, posted to Twitter in November 2020: "John Bolton was one of the dumbest people in government that I've had the 'pleasure' to work with. A sullen, dull and quiet guy, he added nothing to National Security except, 'Gee, let's go to war.' Also, illegally released much Classified Information. A real dope!"
President Donald Trump said of Friday's raid: "When I hired him, he served a good purpose because he was one of the people that forced George W. Bush to do the ridiculous bombings in the Middle East...He can be very unpatriotic. We're going to find out. I know nothing about it, I just saw it this morning."
What Happens Next
Bolton has not yet publicly commented on the raid. Citing an anonymous source, AP reported that Bolton has not been detained or charged with any crime.
Updated, 08/22/2025, 11:27 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information
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