FBI searches home of Trump's former national security adviser

BarcelonaThe FBI searched the home of John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Donald Trump during his first term, in the Bethesda, Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., on Friday morning. The operation is part of an investigation to determine whether Bolton improperly shared or possessed classified information, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Federal agents entered the former Trump adviser's home at 7 a.m., according to information released by the FBI. New York Post. The search was reportedly ordered by the agency's director, Kash Patel, who shortly afterward wrote on X: "No one is above the law... @FBI agents on a mission." The message did not mention the suspect's name directly. After collaborating with Trump during the Republican's first term, between April 2018 and September 2019, Bolton, 75, is now one of the most critical Republican voices against the president, whom he says is "unworthy" of holding office and has repeatedly acted against the country's interests. Bolton was also the United States ambassador to the United Nations during George W. Bush's term.

The relationship between the two men has been particularly contentious, marked by public accusations and backbiting. Bolton has described Trump as a leader "obsessed with his reelection" and "incapable of making coherent strategic decisions." In his memoir, The room where it happened, went so far as to claim that Donald Trump "wasn't qualified to be president." The tycoon, for his part, responded harshly, calling him a "crazy man," a "liar," and a "traitor" following the publication of the book. On one occasion, the tycoon accused him of wanting to "push the United States into every war in the world" and of being a "disaster" during the time he was part of his national security team.

The confrontation between Bolton and Trump has also spilled over into foreign policy. Half an hour after the FBI raid, the former advisor criticized Trump's attempts to end the war in Ukraine, which he described as "useless": "Russia has not changed its objective: to drag Ukraine into a new Russian Empire. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede the territory it already holds and the remainder of Donetsk, which it has failed to capture. Zelensky will never do so. In the meantime, these meetings and talks make no progress," he declared on National Public Radio. He had previously stated that, in the meeting with Putin in Alaska, "the Russian had clearly won."

The poisoned relationship has had other sour episodes. The president withdrew the Secret Service protection assigned to Bolton after the Justice Department warned that Iran had threatened his life. The White House was also accused of trying to prevent the publication of the memoir, claiming it contained classified information, in an attempt that many analysts interpreted as a political move to silence him.

When contacted by the media, an FBI spokesperson simply stated that the agents were "conducting court-authorized activities in the area." Both the agency and the White House have declined, for the time being, to comment further. A representative for Bolton also did not respond to requests for comment.

The search comes at a time of rising political tension in Washington, where the handling of classified documents and information by current and former Trump administration officials has sparked numerous investigations. The White House's moves in this area have often been interpreted by critics as attempts at political retribution against former aides who have broken with the former president.