FBI Reveals Classified Documents Were Found in John Bolton’s Office
FBI agents conducted a search on August 22 at former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s washington office and discovered classified documents, including materials referencing weapons of mass destruction and the United Nations. The search, executed under a federal warrant, also revealed documents related to U.S. government strategic communications, with some folders marked “confidential” and pages labeled “secret.” On the same day, agents searched Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, seizing computers and electronic devices, though no classified details was immediately identified there.
Investigators are reportedly examining possible violations of the Espionage Act and unauthorized retention of classified information. Bolton’s attorney stated that many of the documents had been previously approved as part of pre-publication reviews for Bolton’s memoir and dated from his service during the George W. Bush governance.Bolton, who was fired by President Trump and later criticized him publicly, previously faced scrutiny over classified information included in his book, but the Justice Department dropped that investigation in 2021.
FBI agents discovered classified documents at former national security adviser John Bolton’s Washington office last month, according to Politico.
The records were obtained during an Aug. 22 search executed under a federal warrant.
Court filings released Tuesday confirmed the discovery.
A description of the seized material indicated references to weapons of mass destruction.
Other records concerned the United Nations.
The FBI also found documents related to the U.S. government’s strategic communications.
The inventory prepared by an FBI agent did not state how many classified pages were taken.
It did specify some folders were marked “confidential” and pages in them were labeled “secret.”
Politico reported that at least one “confidential” heading was redacted from the list.
The same morning Bolton’s office was searched, agents also scoured through his Bethesda, Maryland, home.
Agents confiscated computers and electronic devices, but nothing classified was immediately flagged.
Politico reported that investigators were seeking evidence of three potential felony offenses.
Those included violations of the Espionage Act and unauthorized retention of classified information without permission.
Bolton previously faced a lawsuit over including classified details in his memoir. A judge warned in 2020 that his actions might have been criminal.
The Justice Department dropped that probe under President Joe Biden in 2021.
His attorney, Abbe Lowell, issued a statement defending Bolton’s possession of the materials.
“These materials, many of which are documents that had been previously approved as part of a pre-publication review for Amb. Bolton’s book, were reviewed and closed years ago,” Lowell said, according to Politico.
“These are the kinds of ordinary records, many of which are 20 years old or more, that would be kept by a 40-year career official who served at the State Department, as an Assistant Attorney General, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and the National Security Advisor,” he added.
Lowell said documents dated from 1998 to 2006, during Bolton’s George W. Bush administration-era service.
Bolton, who was fired by President Donald Trump during his first term, was a vocal critic of the president after Mar-a-Lago was raided by FBI agents in 2022.
In a June 2023 X post, he commented, “All American voters should read the full text of the Trump indictment, and then consult their own consciences. If Trump has done what has alleged, he should be convicted and punished.”
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