FBI Raids Home of Former National Security Adviser John Bolton

FBI agents raided John Bolton’s home on Friday morning, reportedly part of a high-profile national security probe over the handling of classified documents.

The Details: Federal agents raided Bolton’s house in Bethesda, Maryland Friday at 7 AM. Investigators and agents were also reportedly seen at his office in DC. FBI Director Kash Patel said on X at 7:03 AM, “NO ONE is above the law…@FBI agents on mission.” The X post was subsequently reposted by FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, adding “Public corruption will not be tolerated.”

For Context: Bolton was appointed by President Donald Trump as National Security Adviser in 2018 and was removed from the position by Trump in 2019. Bolton went on to publish a memoir, titled ‘The Room Where It Happened’, despite national security fears. Former National Security Council official Ellen Knight accused the White House of an “unprecedented” and “fundamentally flawed” review of the book for classified information. Some of the revelations in Bolton’s book came as “a damning update” used in the attempt to impeach Trump during his first term. Recent developments, however, reportedly show Bolton was aware of former CIA Director John Brennan’s alleged fabrication of the intelligence surrounding claims of Trump-Putin collusion in the election.

How The Media Covered It: The Guardian (Left bias) mentioned how Bolton “clashed” with Trump over foreign policy while serving as his National Security Adviser for 17 months, highlighting commentary from Joe Biden’s special adviser, Meghan Hays, saying the raid “seems extremely political, extremely petty.” The New York Post (Lean Right) was the first to report the raid and highlighted the “years of investigation” into the “potentially criminal release of information” by Bolton. The article also said Bolton “blasted out a message at 7:32 am,” referring to an X post criticizing Trump’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine war. The Hill (Center) framed coverage around Patel’s “cryptic” X post while highlighting Trump’s “nixing” of Bolton’s security clearance in January. The article also included input from Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, saying the post by Patel is “yet another example of, in my opinion, Kash Patel failing to live up to the example of his predecessors.”      

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