The FBI Raided John Bolton's Home In a Search for Classified Documents

Former national security advisor John Bolton, who was part of President Trump's first administration, had his Maryland home raided by FBI agents on the morning of Aug. 22, according to reporting from NBC News.

Bolton, who has become a critic of President Trump in the years since he was part of the cabinet, was not a part of any known criminal investigation prior to the news that his home was being raided.

Following the news that his home was raided, then, many naturally wanted to know what Bolton had done to spur such dramatic action. Here's what we know.

According to a source speaking with NBC, the raid was part of a “national security investigation in search of classified records." It apparently relates to repeated leaks of documents to news media. The investigation began during the Biden administration, but has apparently continued under Trump. Bolton served as Trump's national security advisor from April 2018 through September 2019.

An FBI official also told NBC that “the FBI is conducting court authorized activity in the area. There is no threat to public safety.” That statement indicates that a judge signed a search warrant allowing for the raid to proceed. It's unknown whether Bolton was home at the time of the raid, which began at around 7 a.m., but a woman who appeared to be Bolton's wife was there at the time.

Although Bolton is aligned with Trump on some areas of policy, he has been a harsh critic of the president's foreign policy, and especially his interactions with Russia over the war in Ukraine. Even as the raid was happening, Bolton posted a tweet in which he offered a critique of Trump's close relationship with Putin. "Russia has not changed its goal: drag Ukraine into a new Russian Empire," Bolton wrote.

"Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede territory it already holds and the remainder of Donetsk, which it has been unable to conquer. Zelensky will never do so. Meanwhile, meetings will continue because Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize, but I don't see these talks making any progress," he continued.

FBI Director Kash Patel, meanwhile, suggested that the raid was evidence that the FBI was willing to go after any target in pursuit of justice.

"NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission," he wrote.

Given Bolton's frequent critiques of Trump in the time since he was fired by the president, and the fact that Trump has often promised revenge against his enemies, there are understandably some concerns about whether this investigation is in some way retaliatory.

President Trump said that he did not know about the raid, but said he was “not a fan of John Bolton,” and called him a “lowlife.”