Published: 8:01pm, 22 Aug 2025Updated: 8:57pm, 22 Aug 2025
The FBI is searching the Maryland home of John Bolton, who served in US President Donald Trump’s first administration as national security adviser but later became critical of the president, as part of an investigation into the handling of classified information, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday.
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Bolton was not detained and has not been charged with any crimes, said the person, who was not authorised to discuss the investigation by name and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Messages left with a spokesperson for Bolton and the White House were not immediately returned. A lawyer who has represented Bolton had no immediate comment.
The Justice Department also had no comment, but leaders appeared to cryptically refer to the search of Bolton’s home in a series of social media posts on Friday morning.
FBI Director Kash Patel, who in a 2023 book he wrote included Bolton in a list of “members of the Executive Branch Deep State,” posted on social media: “NO ONE is above the law … @FBI agents on mission.” Attorney General Pam Bondi shared his post, adding: “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”
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The search of Bolton’s home comes as the Trump administration has taken steps to examine the activities of other perceived adversaries of the Republican president, including by authorising a grand jury investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.
