The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday raided the residence of former US National Security Advisor (NSA) John Bolton in Bethesda, Maryland, in connection with a long-running security probe. The move came just days after Bolton&rsquo;s sharp criticism of former President Donald Trump&rsquo;s decision to impose heavy tariffs on India over Russian oil imports.
According to reports, FBI agents arrived at Bolton&rsquo;s house at 7 am, acting on orders from FBI Director Kash Patel. Shortly after the operation began, Patel posted a cryptic message on X, stating: &ldquo;NO ONE is above the law&hellip;FBI agents on mission.&rdquo;
The investigation reportedly involves classified documents and was initially launched several years ago, but later shelved under the Biden administration for what officials described as &ldquo;political reasons.&rdquo;
As agents conducted the raid, Bolton posted his own remarks on X at 7:32 am, openly criticizing Trump&rsquo;s handling of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He argued that Moscow&rsquo;s goal remained unchanged, to draw Ukraine into a &ldquo;new Russian Empire&rdquo; and that ongoing negotiations would not succeed. He further claimed that Trump was pursuing such talks mainly to bolster his image for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Bolton has faced controversy before, most notably in 2020 with the publication of his memoir The Room Where It Happened. The Trump administration accused him of disclosing classified information and violating a non-disclosure agreement, but failed to block the book&rsquo;s release.
After returning to office for a second term, Trump had also revoked the security clearances of 50 former intelligence officials, including Bolton, through an executive order signed in January. [Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed]

Former US National Security Advisor (NSA) John Bolton

Raid follows Bolton’s criticism of Trump’s tariff moves and Russia-Ukraine stance

FBI raids ex-NSA Bolton’s home amid probe

Raid follows Bolton’s criticism of Trump’s tariff moves and Russia-Ukraine stance

August 22, 2025 | 19:51 IST