The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed “court authorized activity” happening in the area of the home of John Bolton, a former adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump turned persistent critic.
It comes as U.S. media including Reuters and the Associated Press report, citing a source briefed on the matter, that the FBI searched the home on Friday as part of a national security probe.
Global News has not independently confirmed that reporting.
An FBI spokesperson has also confirmed law enforcement activity at Bolton’s Washington D.C. office.
When asked about reports of the raid, Trump said on Friday, “No, I don’t know about it. I saw it on television this morning. I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s a real sort of a low life.
“He could be a very unpatriotic guy. We’re going to find out.”
Trump added he expected to be briefed about the matter by the U.S. Justice Department but also insisted he didn’t “want to know about it.”
“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,” Trump said.
Vice President JD Vance denied in an NBC News interview on Friday that Bolton was being targeted because of his criticism of Trump.
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“If there’s no crime here, we’re not going to prosecute it. If there is a crime here, of course, Ambassador Bolton will get his day in court. That’s how it should be.”
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents began searching his house in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Maryland, at 7 a.m. as part of a probe ordered by FBI Director Kash Patel, according to the New York Post, which first reported the raid, Reuters reported.
“NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission,” Patel wrote, without mentioning Bolton, in an X post shortly after 7 a.m.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino shared Patel’s post, adding, “Public corruption will not be tolerated,” without sharing details.
Bolton could not immediately be reached for comment. CNN reported that he said he was unaware of the law enforcement activity and was looking into it further.
Reuters video footage from the scene showed multiple people in FBI jackets walking in and out the front door of the home.
Bolton served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and as the White House national security adviser during Trump’s first term in office. He has since become a critic of the Republican president, calling him unfit to serve and writing a scathing book about his time in Trump’s first administration.
Trump has repeatedly moved to wield the levers of presidential power against his perceived enemies since taking office in January, following his campaign promise of political retribution.
It was not immediately clear why the FBI was searching the property. The Justice Department during Trump’s first term sued and started a criminal investigation into Bolton over allegations that the book, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, contained classified information.
A judge rejected the administration’s bid to block publication of the book in 2020. Both the criminal investigation and lawsuit were dropped in 2021 during the Biden administration.
The president previously stripped Bolton of protective Secret Service detail that had been assigned after the U.S. Justice Department said Iran had threatened his life.
Bolton has continued his criticism of Trump since he returned to office. After Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week, Bolton told CNN that Putin “clearly won” the summit and while Trump “did not lose” he looked “very tired” and there was no meaningful progress on ending the war in Ukraine.
Bolton has also been critical of Patel, telling NBC’s Meet The Press in December that the Senate should reject his nomination “100-0.” Patel was later confirmed.
—With files from Global News and the Associated Press
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