BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — The FBI on Friday, August 22, 2025, raided the home and office of John Bolton, who served as President Donald Trump’s third national security adviser before becoming one of his most vocal critics. The raids are part of a national security probe into the handling of classified documents, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Federal agents were seen at Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, and later at his Washington, D.C., office building, according to a report from CBS News.
The searches are reportedly focused on potential classified material that agents believe Bolton may still possess. The investigation is a revival of an earlier probe into whether Bolton misused classified information in his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened. The book, which was highly critical of the president’s first term, was published after a federal judge denied the Justice Department’s request to block its release, as noted by The Guardian.
The search warrant was reportedly authorized by the current FBI Director, Kash Patel, a move that has been viewed by some as an act of political retribution. Patel, a longtime Trump ally, posted a cryptic message on X shortly after the raid began. President Trump, for his part, publicly denied having prior knowledge of the raid, telling reporters that he learned about it on television. However, he also took the opportunity to criticize his former adviser, saying, “I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s a real sort of a lowlife,” as reported by Al Jazeera.
Bolton was not at his home during the early morning raid, but he was later seen speaking with FBI agents at his Washington, D.C. office. He was not detained or charged with any crimes. This marks the latest action in a series of legal and political moves targeting opponents of the Trump administration.
