Federal brokers searched the Maryland house of John Bolton, former nationwide safety adviser throughout President Donald Trump’s first administration, early Friday, in accordance with two legislation enforcement officers.
“The FBI is conducting court docket licensed exercise within the space. There isn’t a menace to public security. We’ve got no additional remark,” a spokesperson for the FBI’s Washington Subject Workplace stated.
A Division of Justice spokesperson declined to remark, however referenced Friday morning posts from FBI Director Kash Patel and Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi.
“NO ONE is above the legislation… @FBI brokers on mission,” Patel posted on X, to which Bondi replied: “America’s security isn’t negotiable. Justice will likely be pursued. All the time.”
Bolton got here underneath investigation in Trump’s first time period over a tell-all ebook about his time as nationwide safety adviser, which officers stated revealed categorised authorities data. The Justice Division sued Bolton in 2020 in an try to dam publication of the ebook. However a decide rejected that effort whereas additionally publicly faulting the previous nationwide safety aide for continuing with out last sign-off from the federal government.
DOJ additionally carried out a parallel legal investigation into Bolton’s dealing with of categorised data, however dropped the probe and the go well with the next 12 months, after President Joe Biden’s appointees took workplace.
After his time in authorities, the previous Trump adviser turned an more and more strident critic of Trump, attacking his international coverage and nationwide safety strikes. Bolton was amongst a gaggle of former officers whose safety particulars Trump revoked on the primary day of his second time period, regardless of lively threats on Bolton’s life from Iran.
A spokesperson and an legal professional who represented Bolton within the earlier probe didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark Friday. Representatives of the writer of Bolton’s 2020 ebook, Simon and Schuster, didn’t instantly return messages in search of remark.
Eli Stokols contributed to this report.