FBI agents raided the Washington DC residence of former Trump national security advisor John Bolton on Friday morning as part of a documents-related investigation, a source told the Associated Press.
The operation took place around 7 am at Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, and was carried out under orders from FBI Director Kash Patel, a Donald Trump administration official told the New York Post.
Shortly after the raid began, Patel wrote in a cryptic post on X, “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission.”
The development comes days after John Bolton weighed in on US tariff policy. His comments came a day before the “high-stakes” summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.
Earlier, in an interview with HT, Bolton called Donald Trump an “aberrational president” and remarked that the India-US relationship is in “a very bad place.”
He criticised what he called Washington’s “confused” approach toward India and questioned the decision to impose a 25 per cent penalty on New Delhi while exempting China from similar measures.
{{/usCountry}}He criticised what he called Washington’s “confused” approach toward India and questioned the decision to impose a 25 per cent penalty on New Delhi while exempting China from similar measures.
{{/usCountry}}The former Trump advisor was referring to US' additional 25 per cent tariff on India over its Russian oil imports, raising the total levies to 50 per cent.
John Bolton has been outspoken about the US President’s recent tariff measures. In a post on X last week, he wrote, “When Trump slapped tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, but not China which also purchases Russia oil, it may have pushed India further into the Beijing-Moscow axis. This lack of focus by the Trump Admin is an unforced error.”
John Bolton–Donald Trump's turbulent relationship
John Bolton, who served as Donald Trump’s third national security adviser for 17 months, frequently clashed with the then president on issues including Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea, reported AP.
The Trump administration also attempted to block the release of Bolton’s book, claiming it contained classified material.
On returning to office earlier this year, President Trump revoked the security clearances of more than 40 former intelligence officials, the list also included Bolton's name. He was among three former Trump aides whose security details were cancelled by the president.