Benjamin Wittes, editor-in-chief of Lawfare, livestreamed from the scene, with footage that showing several law enforcement vehicles outside Bolton’s home.
The FBI on Friday morning searched the Maryland home of John Bolton, former national security adviser under President Donald Trump, as part of a classified documents investigation, according to multiple media outlets.
A person familiar with the matter confirmed the search to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the operation. A Trump administration official told The New York Post that the raid took place at Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, at around 7 a.m. on Aug. 22.
The FBI did not provide a substantive reply in response to an inquiry from The Epoch Times.
However, FBI Director Kash Patel hinted at the operation in a cryptic post on X: “NO ONE is above the law … @FBI agents on mission.”
NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) August 22, 2025
Patel’s post was shared by FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who wrote, “Public corruption will not be tolerated.”
Public corruption will not be tolerated. https://t.co/VNzFdO6oVS
— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) August 22, 2025
Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi also wrote on X: “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”
America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always. https://t.co/Feev4Cxqlj
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) August 22, 2025
Benjamin Wittes, editor-in-chief of Lawfare, livestreamed from the scene, with footage that he shared showing several law enforcement vehicles outside what Wittes said was Bolton’s home.
“The FBI appears to be conducting a search warrant—I assume it is not an arrest—but if there is FBI activity at a house that I believe to be John Bolton’s house in Bethesda and … I assume this is related to the investigation of Bolton’s book and the classified information investigation that took place and I had thought was closed,” Wittes said.
Wittes was referring to Bolton’s book “The Room Where It Happened,” a memoir of his 17 months as Trump’s national security adviser that the president’s allies have long accused of containing sensitive and potentially classified material. The Trump administration unsuccessfully sought to block its publication in 2020, arguing it jeopardized national security. Bolton has said he obtained verbal clearance from the National Security Council to publish the book.
Not long after he assumed office for a second term, Trump issued an executive order stripping Bolton of both his security clearance and Secret Service protection, citing what the White House described as “reckless” handling of sensitive information. Trump specifically pointed to the memoir, saying its release “created a grave risk that classified material was publicly exposed” and undermined the president’s ability to seek candid advice from advisers.
By Tom Ozimek
