Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officers conducted a raid in the Maryland home of ex-US National Security Adviser (NSA) John Bolton on Friday. The raid was part of a giant national security investigation allegedly authorized by FBI Director Kash Patel, the New York Post reported.
Moments before the raid, Bolton had a go at Trump on X. In his tweet, he noted that even after repeated interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the issue of Ukraine is still pending. He added that the talks "will continue because Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize."
Responding to the news, Trump said he had no idea about the raid beforehand and only heard it on the television. He attacked Bolton, referring to him as a "lowlife" and a "quiet fellow" who would only show up on television to utter "something bad about Trump."
The ex-president continued to attribute fault to Bolton for pressuring George Bush into what he termed the "ridiculous bombings in the Middle East," and further claimed that Bolton "wants to kill people."
"I'm not a fan of John Bolton. He's a real sort of lowlife," Trump told reporters, adding, "He was one of the people that forced Bush to do the ridiculous bombings in the Middle East. He wants to always kill people. And he's very bad at what he does. He's not a smart guy and he might be a very unpatriotic guy. We're going to find out," he said.
John Bolton, the former National Security Adviser to Donald Trump from 2018 to 2019, has been vociferous in his criticism of how the former president handled matters of national security and foreign policy. He has appeared quite regularly on television and radio news outlets since he left the administration.
The raid was reportedly linked to claims Bolton had included classified information in his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened. Trump tried to prevent the release of the book at the time, claiming it broke a non-disclosure agreement. The criminal investigation was closed by the Justice Department under President Joe Biden in 2021.
The timing of the move by the FBI also coincides with Bolton's ongoing criticism of Trump's foreign policy, including his policy on trade and his approach to India-US relations. In an interview with NDTV last month, the former NSA blamed Trump for overstraining relations with New Delhi by imposing heavy tariffs on India, calling it "a mistake in the bilateral relationship."
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