FBI Raids Home Of Former Trump Advisor John Bolton

Donald Trump is escalating his retribution attacks against his critics; this time, he set his sights on his former National Security Adviser turned loudest critic, John Bolton. 

On Friday, the FBI searched the Maryland and Washington, D.C., homes of Bolton as part of a federal investigation into the alleged mishandling of classified information. Federal agents, backed by local Montgomery County police, descended on Bolton’s residence around 7 a.m. Witnesses reported seeing multiple FBI vehicles parked outside, with agents removing boxes of materials from the home.

Bolton, who served under Trump until his firing in 2019, has been an outspoken critic of Trump. Following his exit, Bolton published a scathing memoir, The Room Where It Happened, detailing dysfunction within the Trump White House and openly criticizing Trump’s foreign policy decisions, particularly his cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

Officials have not publicly detailed the evidence that prompted the raid, but two federal magistrate judges, one in Maryland and another in Washington, signed off on the warrants, indicating that investigators convinced the court there was probable cause that evidence of a federal crime could be found at the locations. The Justice Department, years ago, launched an investigation into whether Bolton improperly disclosed classified information in a book manuscript he had written. The inquiry was later closed. Bolton has not been charged with a crime, and sources confirm he was not taken into custody during the raid, but the optics are serving as an unmistakable warning: become a political enemy of Trump and you will be in the crosshairs of federal power.

The FBI confirmed only that its agents were conducting “court-authorized activity,” after FBI Director Kash Patel took to X, saying, “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission,” to which U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi replied: “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”

Speaking to reporters, Trump gave a seemingly disingenuous response, claiming not to know about the searches before calling Bolton a “low life” and himself the “chief law enforcement officer,” saying, “I don’t know about it. I saw it on television this morning,” Trump said. “I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s a real sort of a low life. He’s a — not a smart guy. But he could be a very unpatriotic guy. We’re going to find out. I know nothing about it. I just saw it this morning, they did a raid. I could know about it. I could be the one starting it. I’m actually the chief law enforcement officer. But I feel that it’s better this way.”

The raid on Bolton’s property is already fueling concerns that federal power is being weaponized against the president’s opponents, and he has faced repeated accusations of politicizing law enforcement against those who oppose his agenda. 

Since his inauguration, Trump has openly called for investigations into political rivals, and the Justice Department has previously authorized inquiries aimed at figures critical of his leadership. Bolton is one of several prominent figures to face heightened scrutiny after breaking ranks with Trump, reinforcing fears that America’s premier law enforcement institutions are being leveraged for political retribution rather than impartial justice. 

Critics argue that the Bolton raid reflects a dangerous erosion of democratic norms. When law enforcement agencies are deployed against political adversaries, they say, it undermines public trust in institutions designed to serve the people rather than the president, something JD Vance claims isn’t true. 

What we are witnessing is not the routine enforcement of federal law but the normalization of political intimidation. Democracy is under siege, and the Justice Department and the FBI, institutions entrusted to safeguard national security and uphold justice, are being wielded as tools of retribution. 

Trump’s continued influence over law enforcement agencies has turned them inward, targeting not terrorists or foreign adversaries, but citizens—our neighbors, our colleagues, and even those once loyal to him who dare to challenge his narrative, turning institutions meant to protect the people into blunt instruments of authoritarian control.

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