FBI seized hard drives and ‘Trump’-labeled binders from John Bolton’s home
The FBI conducted a raid on former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s home on August 22, 2025, seizing numerous electronic devices, hard drives, and documents, including a white binder labeled “Statements and Reflections to Allied Strikes” and multiple folders associated with former President donald Trump. This search, confirmed by newly unsealed court records, is part of an ongoing espionage examination related to Bolton’s handling of classified government materials during his tenure in the Trump management from April 2018 through his departure in 2019.The investigation is linked to concerns about classified information possibly included in Bolton’s 2020 book, *The Room Where It Happened*, which detailed Trump’s foreign policy. Although no charges have been filed against Bolton, the search warrant authorized by a federal judge allowed agents to seize documents and digital communications pertaining to the storage or transmission of classified information.
FBI seized hard drives and ‘Trump’-labeled binders from John Bolton’s home
Federal agents collected a trove of electronic devices and other materials during an FBI raid at former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s residence last month, newly unsealed court records show, confirming for the first time an open espionage investigation into his handling of government secrets.
The 13-page warrant return filed in federal court on Thursday included a list of items seized during the Aug. 22 search on President Donald Trump’s first-term adviser, including a white binder labeled “Statements and Reflections to Allied Strikes,” four folders of typed documents labeled “Trump I – IV,” a hard drive, and multiple USB drives. Agents also took several laptops, including a Dell Precision Tower and a Dell Inspiron 2370.
Bolton has not been charged with any crime. The disclosure came in response to a request in court by several media outlets seeking more information as to the basis of the search.
The white binder appears to reference U.S. military strikes in Syria that took place in April 2018, which were coordinated with the United Kingdom and France and which targeted the Assad regime’s chemical weapons infrastructure. The strikes occurred days before Bolton officially assumed his role in the Trump administration.
A copy of the warrant included in the filing authorizes the seizure of any classified or potentially classified documents relating to Bolton’s tenure as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, starting April 9, 2018. That time frame includes both the Syria strikes and the bulk of Bolton’s time in the White House through his high-profile departure in 2019.
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The search authorization, filed under 18 U.S. Code § 1924 and two provisions of the Espionage Act, also permitted agents to seize digital devices and communications “regarding the retrieval, storage, or transmission of classified material.” A federal magistrate judge in Maryland’s Greenbelt courthouse approved the search warrant application, which includes allegations from an FBI agent and identification of possible criminal violations prosecutors could be considering.
The investigation is believed to be related to information Bolton may have gathered as he prepared to write his 2020 book, The Room Where It Happened, which he published about the president’s handling of foreign policy during his first term. Bolton previously clashed with Trump national security officials over what classified information may have been included in the book, removing some of the information before it was published, according to prior court records.
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