FBI searches home of Trump 'enemy' John Bolton

The FBI was connected Friday searching nan Maryland location and Washington agency of John Bolton – who served successful US President Donald Trump's first management arsenic nationalist information advisor but later became captious of nan president – arsenic portion of an investigation into nan handling of classified information, a personification acquainted pinch nan matter said.

Bolton was not detained and has not been charged pinch immoderate crimes, said nan person, who was not authorised to talk nan investigation by sanction and said to The Associated Press connected nan information of anonymity.

After nan hunt astatine Bolton's location started, he was spotted connected Friday greeting opinionated successful nan lobby of nan Washington building wherever he keeps an agency and talking to 2 group pinch "FBI" visible connected their vests. He near a fewer minutes later and appeared to person gone upstairs successful nan building. Agents were seen taking bags into nan agency building done a backmost entrance.

The searches look to beryllium nan astir important nationalist measurement nan Justice Department has taken against a perceived force of nan president, and they're apt to elicit caller disapproval that nan Trump management is utilizing its rule enforcement powers to spell aft nan Republican's foes. They travel arsenic nan Trump management has moved to analyse nan activities of different critics, including by authorising a expansive assemblage investigation into nan origins of nan Trump-Russia probe that dogged Trump for overmuch of his first term, and arsenic FBI and Justice Department leaders awesome their loyalty to nan president.

They besides unfolded against nan backdrop of a 2022 hunt for classified documents astatine Trump's Mar-a-Lago property successful Palm Beach, Florida, an action that produced since-dismissed criminal charges but remains nan root of outrage for nan president and supporters who insist he was unjustly targeted contempt nan retrieval of top-secret records. Current FBI Director Kash Patel, who included Bolton connected a database of "members of nan Executive Branch Deep State" successful a 2023 book, said successful a Fox News Channel question and reply this week that nan Mar-a-Lago hunt represented a "total weaponisation and politicisation" of nan bureau.

Speaking to reporters during an unscheduled sojourn to nan White House Historical Association, Trump said he had seen news sum of Friday's searches and expected to beryllium briefed astir it by nan Justice Department but besides insisted he didn't "want to cognize astir it".

"I could cognize astir it. I could beryllium nan 1 starting it. I'm really nan main rule enforcement officer. But I consciousness that it's amended this way," Trump said.

Bolton had said successful interviews successful nan past fewer months that he was mindful that he could beryllium scrutinised, telling nan AP successful January soon earlier Trump took office, "Anybody who ever disagrees pinch Trump has to interest astir retribution. It's a beautiful agelong list."

"It's been a agelong clip since group utilized to talk astir Richard Nixon's enemies list. But that seems to beryllium Trump's approach. And truthful it's uncharted territory successful galore respects," Bolton said.

Bolton was successful his agency building astatine nan time

Bolton was not location for nan hunt of his home, but aft it started, he was spotted connected Friday greeting opinionated successful nan lobby of nan Washington building wherever he keeps an agency and talking to 2 group pinch "FBI" visible connected their vests. He near a fewer minutes later and appeared to person gone upstairs successful nan building. Agents were seen taking bags into nan agency building done a backmost entrance.

Messages near pinch a spokesperson for Bolton were not instantly returned, and a lawyer who has represented Bolton had nary contiguous comment.

The Justice Department had nary comment, but leaders appeared to cryptically mention to nan hunt of Bolton's location successful a bid of societal media posts connected Friday morning.

Patel posted connected X: "NO ONE is supra nan law… @FBI agents connected mission." Attorney General Pam Bondi shared his post, adding: "America's information isn't negotiable. Justice will beryllium pursued. Always."

The Justice Department is separately conducting owe fraud investigations into Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought a civilian fraud suit against Trump and his company, and ex-Trump charismatic Jack Smith faces an investigation from an independent watchdog office. Schiff and James person vigorously denied immoderate wrongdoing done their lawyers.

Bolton served arsenic Trump's 3rd nationalist information advisor for 17 months and fought pinch him complete Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea.

He faced scrutiny during nan first Trump management complete a book he wrote astir his clip successful authorities that officials based on disclosed classified information, but nan Justice Department successful 2021 abandoned its suit and dropped a abstracted expansive assemblage investigation.

Bolton's lawyers person said he moved guardant pinch nan book aft a White House National Security Council official, pinch whom Bolton had worked for months, said nan manuscript nary longer contained classified information.

On his first time backmost successful agency this year, Trump revoked nan information clearances of much than 4 twelve erstwhile intelligence officials, including Bolton. Bolton was besides among a group of erstwhile Trump officials whose information specifications were canceled by Trump earlier this year.

Bolton's scathing book, The Room Where It Happened, portrayed Trump arsenic grossly ill-informed astir overseas argumentation and said he "saw conspiracies down rocks, and remained stunningly uninformed connected really to tally nan White House, fto unsocial nan immense national government."

Trump responded by slamming Bolton arsenic a "crazy" war-monger who would person led nan state into "World War Six".

Bolton served arsenic US ambassador to nan United Nations nether President George W Bush and besides held positions successful President Ronald Reagan's administration. He had considered moving for president successful 2012 and 2016.

In 2022, an Iranian operative was charged successful a crippled to termination Bolton successful presumed retaliation for a January 2020 US airstrike that killed nan country's astir powerful general. Bolton had by past near nan Trump management but tweeted, "Hope this is nan first measurement to authorities alteration successful Tehran."