Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents on Friday raided the home of former US National Security Advisor (NSA) John Bolton, a former aide to Donald Trump. The raid is reportedly part of an active security investigation and follows closely after Bolton openly criticized Washington's move to impose severe tariffs on India for buying Russian oil.
According to a report by the New York Post that referenced an ex-Trump administration source, FBI agents reached Bolton's residence in Bethesda, Maryland at approximately 7 a.m. (local time). The raid was carried out under the aegis of FBI Director Kash Patel.
During the course of the raid, Patel made a small post on X, stating, "NO ONE is above the law…FBI agents on mission."
The case is said to be about sensitive classified documents and originally started years ago. The New York Post, however, cited a senior US official as saying the Biden administration had before stopped the investigation "for political reasons.
Bolton himself joined X at 7:32 a.m. when agents were still at his residence. In his tweet, he attacked the Trump administration's response to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, calling current negotiations futile.
"Russia has not altered its objective: pull Ukraine into a new Russian Empire. Moscow has insisted that Ukraine give up land it already possesses and the rest of Donetsk, which it has been unable to defeat. Zelensky will never do that. In the meantime, talks will go on because Trump desires a Nobel Peace Prize, but I do not see these negotiations proceeding," Bolton wrote.
This is not the first time Bolton has been accused of a matter related to classified material. His 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, caused huge controversy, with Trump accusing him of leaking national security information and breaking a non-disclosure agreement related to his White House position. In spite of Trump's legal efforts, the book was finally published. Bolton since then has been a frequent face in the media, vociferously attacking Trump's foreign policy and security measures.
Earlier this year, after starting his second term, Trump signed an executive order in January cancelling the security clearances of 50 former intelligence officials, including Bolton.
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