FBI Raids Home Of Former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton
The FBI raided the Maryland home of former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton early Friday morning as part of a high-level national security investigation reportedly involving classified materials.
According to the New York Post, which broke the story, agents arrived at Bolton’s residence in Bethesda around 7:00 a.m. to execute a court-authorized search. Details remain limited, but the raid is said to be part of a “high-profile national security probe.”
FBI Director Kash Patel, appointed by President Donald Trump, signaled the agency’s intent in a post on X just as the raid began: “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission.”
NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) August 22, 2025
Other top officials weighed in shortly after. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino stated, “Public corruption will not be tolerated,” while Attorney General Pam Bondi added, “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”
The FBI confirmed the raid to NBC News but declined to offer further details, stating only that it was conducting “court authorized activity in the area” and that there was “no threat to public safety.”
The investigation appears to have roots in previous allegations related to Bolton’s 2020 memoir The Room Where It Happened. At the time, the Trump administration argued the book jeopardized national security. While the DOJ sued to block its release, the case was dropped under President Joe Biden.
Bolton’s clearance was revoked earlier this year, with the White House citing “reckless treatment of sensitive information” and warning that the memoir posed a “grave risk” of public exposure of classified material. Shortly after taking office in January 2025, President Trump also rescinded Bolton’s Secret Service detail.
An official told the Post that a prior inquiry into Bolton was previously “quashed for political reasons.”
Bolton, who left the Trump administration in 2019 and later became a vocal critic of the president, was not home at the time of the raid, according to CNN. The former U.N. ambassador has not yet publicly responded.