Federal agents raided the Bethesda, Maryland, home of former national security adviser John Bolton early Friday morning, escalating tensions between the longtime foreign policy hawk and former President Donald Trump.

FBI officials also searched Bolton’s Washington, D.C., office later in the day as part of a revived investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified information.

The raids, first reported by Fox News, are tied to allegations that Bolton sent “highly sensitive” national security documents to his wife and daughter using a private email server during his tenure at the White House.

Allegations of Misusing Classified Material

According to a senior U.S. official, Bolton allegedly forwarded classified information to family members before his September 2019 dismissal by Trump.

“While Bolton was a national security adviser, he was literally stealing classified information, utilizing his family as a cutout,” the official claimed.

The operation was ordered by FBI Director Kash Patel, a former Trump administration aide who took control of the bureau in February. Patel later posted cryptically on X: “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission.”

Bolton served with the first Trump administration for a short time before he was fired. He was known as a neo-con Republican who favored strategies of war and armed conflict rather than diplomacy.

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Trump Responds to John Bolton Raid

Trump told reporters at the White House that he had no advance notice of the raid.

“I know nothing about it,” Trump said. “I just saw it this morning… I tell [Attorney General] Pam [Bondi] and I tell the group: ‘I don’t want to know, but you have to do what you have to do.’”

The former president nevertheless took a swipe at Bolton: “He’s not a smart guy, but he could be a very unpatriotic guy. We’re going to find out.”

Bolton had a Bitter Conflict with Trump Administration

Bolton, 76, has been an outspoken critic of Trump since leaving the administration. His 2020 memoir, “The Room Where It Happened”, detailed internal disputes over national security decisions and sparked a heated legal battle. Trump sought to block its release, arguing it contained classified details, but failed to stop publication.

The newly unsealed warrants reportedly reference the book as background on Bolton’s alleged pattern of behavior but stress that the current probe is a “clean break” from the earlier case.

“All these people have been wrapping their heads around an axle about, ‘Oh, they’re really re-litigating the book?’ The book investigation is over,” the senior official said.

Security Concerns for John Bolton

Friday’s developments also raised concerns for Bolton’s safety. In 2022, U.S. intelligence identified him as a potential assassination target by Iran, in retaliation for his role in planning the January 2020 drone strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Bolton’s X account was active during the raid, posting a message critical of Trump’s approach to Russia and Ukraine. Whether scheduled or live, it underscored his continuing role as one of Trump’s most visible critics.