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FBI searches the home of former Trump adviser John Bolton
FBI officers exit and re-enter the home of former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, in Bethesda, MD on August 22, 2025.
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Maansi Srivastava
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NPR
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FBI agents speak with tenants at the entrance of John Bolton's house, the former national security advisor to Donald Trump, after conducting a court-authorized search of his residence on August 22, 2025, in Bethesda, Maryland. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents searched on Friday the home of John Bolton, Donald Trump's former national security advisor who has become a vocal critic of the US president. (Photo by PEDRO UGARTE / AFP) (Photo by PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images)
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PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images
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FBI agents walk outside John Bolton's house, Donald Trump's former national security advisor after the FBI conducted a court-authorized search at his place on August 22, 2025 in Bethesda, Maryland. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents searched on Friday the home of John Bolton, Donald Trump's former national security advisor who has become a vocal critic of the US president. (Photo by PEDRO UGARTE / AFP) (Photo by PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images)
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PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images
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Getty Images
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Montgomery County police officers stand guard outside the house of John Bolton, Donald Trump's former national security advisor after FBI agents conducted a court-authorized search at his place on August 22, 2025 in Bethesda, Maryland. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents searched on Friday the home of John Bolton, Donald Trump's former national security advisor who has become a vocal critic of the US president. (Photo by Pedro UGARTE / AFP) (Photo by PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images)
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PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images
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Getty Images
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FBI agents carry empty boxes to former national security adviser John Bolton's house, Friday, August. 22, 2025, in Bethesda, Md.
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Jose Luis Magana/
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AP
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FBI officers exit and re-enter the home of former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, in Bethesda, MD on August 22, 2025.
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Maansi Srivastava
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NPR
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FBI officers exit and re-enter the home of former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, in Bethesda, MD on August 22, 2025.
(
Maansi Srivastava
/
NPR
)
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3:15
FBI searches home of former Trump adviser John Bolton
The FBI on Friday searched the home of President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton.
Bolton served in Trump's first term in the White House for just over a year, but has since become a sharp critic of the president. He has said he believed Trump would use the Department of Justice to enact a "retribution presidency."
The FBI on Friday said it conducted "court-authorized activity in the area" when asked about a search at Bolton's Maryland home.
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Heidi Beirich, a political extremism expert, left the Alabama-based organization about six years ago. Her attorney called the indictment politically motivated.
"There is no threat to public safety. We have no further comment," the FBI added. The search of Bolton's home was first reported by The New York Post.
Bolton was one of the former administration officials whose security clearances Trump stripped when he returned to office. Trump also revoked Bolton's security detail, which was in place because of threats from Iran.
Bolton published The Room Where It Happened in 2020, a memoir about his time in the White House that was critical of Trump's approach to foreign policy and the presidency in general.
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The Trump administration sued to try to block the book's publication, alleging Bolton hadn't gone through the proper clearance process and that his manuscript contained classified information. A judge declined that request, but said Bolton's conduct raised national security concerns. The Biden administration dismissed the lawsuit and prosecutors dropped a grand jury investigation the following year.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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