The FBI conducted an early-morning raid at the home of President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton just outside of Washington, DC on Friday.
FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X Friday morning hinting about the raid.
“NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission,” Patel posted.
The Independent confirmed the ongoing search at John Bolton‘s Bethesda, Maryland home. The Independent observed multiple law-enforcement vehicles, parked outside with FBI agents standing outside the door with some going in and out of the residence.
Bolton did not immediately respond to a text message request for comment.
Bolton served as national security adviser from 2018 to 2019 but has since become an outspoken critic of Trump, particularly with regard to his approach to Russia.
Most recently, Bolton blasted Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s report that accused former president Barack Obama of engaging in a “years-long coup” against Trump. During Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bolton said that Trump would surrender Alaska to Russia.
On Friday morning, Bolton tweeted an interview he did with NPR about Russia.
“Russia has not changed its goal: drag Ukraine into a new Russian Empire,” he tweeted. “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.”
Trump for his part has regularly and loudly criticized Bolton, calling him “stupid” and saying that he “blew up the Middle East.”
The raid is just the latest example of the Trump administration ramping up legal actions against Trump’s perceived enemies. Last week, Trump seized the Washington, DC police department and ordered the National Guard to patrol the streets of the nation’s capital. In response to repeatedly debunking claims that crime increased in Washington, the Department of Justice reportedly began to investigate whether the police department manipulated data about crime.
Earlier this week, Trump called for the resignation of Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, reportedly for committing mortgage fraud. New York Attorney General Letitia also faces an investigation after she conducted a fraud investigation into the president. On Thursday, an appeals court tossed out the multi-million dollar fraud penalty.
