The FBI on Friday searched the home and office of former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton as part of an investigation into if he mishandled classified information, several reports confirmed.
After being fired by Trump in 2019, Bolton has emerged as one of the president’s most vocal critics, regularly speaking on television against Trump’s foreign and domestic policy.
As of Friday morning, Bolton was not in custody or charged with any crimes, The Associated Press reported.
Trump said that he didn’t know anything about the raid at Bolton’s house but he will likely be briefed by staff sometime on Friday.
He criticized Bolton as “not a smart guy” and someone who could be “a very unpatriotic guy.”
Trump said he tells Attorney General Pam Bondi that he doesn’t want to know about certain things.
“I could know about it. I could be the one starting it,” he said. “I’m actually the chief law enforcement officer.”
The raid is an escalation against Bolton after Trump took away the former adviser’s security detail.
Bolton was not at his Maryland home at the time of the raid, but was seen Friday morning standing in the lobby of his Washington office building speaking with two FBI agents, the AP reported.
While it is unconfirmed they were speaking about Bolton, some leaders in the Trump administration appeared to share messages online after the raid.
“NO ONE is above the law... @FBI agents on mission,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
Bondi shared his message and added, “America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.”