President Donald Trump denied any knowledge of the raid on John Bolton’s home, after federal agents raided the former national security adviser’s Maryland home Friday morning.
Speaking to reporters in Washington, D.C., Trump said he deliberately avoided being informed of the raid in advance.
“I don’t know anything about it,” Trump said. “I saw it this morning. I talked to Pam [Attorney General Pam Bondi] and the group: ‘I don’t want to know anything about it. You have to do what you have to do.'”
The Importance of the Case
The FBI raided Bolton’s Maryland home and his Washington office Friday as part of a new investigation into alleged mishandling of classified information from his 2020 memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” according to a source familiar with the matter.
Bolton, a hard-line figure who repeatedly opposed Trump during his first term and later became one of his most outspoken critics, has not been arrested or charged. But the two search warrants marked a sharp escalation in a case previously thought to be closed.
What You Need to Know
Speaking to reporters during an unscheduled visit to the White House Historical Association, Trump said he learned about the raid on his former national security adviser’s home on television Friday morning, insisting he had no prior knowledge of it.
“He’s not a smart guy,” Trump said. “But he may be very unpatriotic. We’ll find out.”
The president added that he expected to be briefed later on the details of the raid on Bolton’s home and office.
“I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s a real scumbag,” Trump added, before suggesting he might have instigated the raid: “I may have known about it. I may have initiated it. I’m actually the head of law enforcement.”
After the search began, Bolton was seen talking with FBI agents in the lobby of his Washington, D.C., office building before heading upstairs. Agents were later seen carrying bags through a rear entrance.
The Justice Department declined to comment. But FBI Director Kash Patel, a longtime Trump ally, wrote on the X account, formerly known as Twitter: “No one is above the law… FBI agents are on a mission.” Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed that sentiment: “We will seek justice. Always.”
Bolton’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment. His former lawyer also declined to comment on the raid.
The raids are believed to be linked to renewed concerns that Bolton’s memoir may contain classified information. The Trump administration had previously tried to block the book’s publication and then sued to seize the proceeds.
That case ended in 2021 when the Biden administration dropped the prosecution and the related grand jury investigation.
What People Are Saying
Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X: “America’s security is non-negotiable. We will seek justice. Always.”
Longtime Trump ally Roger Stone on X: “Hello, John Bolton. How does it feel to have your home raided at 6:00 in the morning?”
Journalist and commentator Keith Olbermann on X: “I couldn’t care less about John Bolton, but this is a political act, not an investigation.”