A search warrant for the Washington, D.C., office of former National Security Adviser John Bolton indicates that investigators recovered documents marked “secret” and “confidential.”
The FBI is probing whether Bolton improperly handled national defense information, according to officials familiar with the matter, multiple reports noted last month.
Per the Aug. 22 warrant, there were “travel memo documents with pages labeled secret,” as well as “confidential” documents regarding “U.S. Mission to the United Nations,” “U.S. Government Strategic Communications Plan,” and weapons of mass destruction.
“The discovery renews scrutiny of Bolton’s handling of sensitive national security information and echoes long-standing concerns first raised during a contentious legal battle over his 2020 memoir,” Newsweek reported.
The discovery of classified documents in John Bolton’s office raises key questions about whether senior national security officials are held to the same legal standards as others who handle sensitive material.
The case underscores broader concerns about safeguarding national defense information, the Justice Department’s consistency in handling high-profile document investigations, and the political implications of examining a former Trump official who later became one of the president’s most vocal critics, Newsweek added.
That same morning, federal agents also searched Bolton’s residence in Bethesda, Maryland.
While the filing noted no classified documents were found at the home, investigators seized computers and other electronic devices from both locations for forensic review.
The search warrant was authorized by U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya of the District of Columbia.
“The FBI is conducting court-authorized activity in the area. There is no threat to public safety. We have no further comment,” the FBI noted in a statement at the time.
Court filings show the FBI was pursuing evidence of possible violations of three statutes, including Section 793 of Title 18, the Espionage Act, which makes it a crime to retain or share national defense information without authorization, and Section 1924, which bars the unauthorized removal or retention of classified materials.
In its affidavit, the bureau said there was probable cause to believe Bolton had violated federal law and that evidence of those offenses would be found in his office.
The new investigation echoes earlier controversies surrounding Bolton’s 2020 memoir, “The Room Where It Happened.”
Before the tome was published, the National Security Council issued a warning that the manuscript contained “significant amounts of classified information, to include information classified at the TOP SECRET level.”
The warning was contained in a January 2020 letter from Ellen Knight, then the NSC’s Senior Director for Records, Access and Information Security Management.
Although Knight later indicated that revisions appeared to eliminate classified material, Bolton proceeded with publication without waiting for final written approval. The Justice Department filed suit to block the book, alleging that Bolton had violated his nondisclosure agreements and jeopardized national security.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth declined to issue an injunction but sharply criticized Bolton’s actions.
“Bolton has gambled with the national security of the United States. He has exposed his country to harm and himself to civil (and potentially criminal) liability,” he wrote at the time.
The case was dropped in June 2021 by then-President Joe Biden’s Justice Department.
The August searches took place amid sharp partisan debate over how classified records are handled by senior officials. Former President Trump, who publicly feuded with Bolton after his departure from the White House, told reporters he was not informed in advance of the raid.
“I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s a real sort of a low life,” Trump said, adding that the search might show Bolton to be “a very unpatriotic guy.”
Vice President JD Vance confirmed that the administration was “in the very early stages of an ongoing investigation into John Bolton in relation to a classified documents probe.”
He also said the case was not driven by politics. “If they ultimately bring a case, it will be because they determine that he has broken the law… You shouldn’t throw people willy-nilly in prison,” he said.