Federal authorities confiscated three computers, two iPhones, and stacks of paperwork from John Bolton’s residence on August 22, according to court filings. The documents also indicated that the 76-year-old ex-national security adviser could be on the verge of facing criminal charges that might carry a sentence of more than ten years in prison.
Agents executed the search at Bolton’s Bethesda, Maryland, residence as well as his office in Washington, DC. The raid was linked to suspicions that Bolton had improperly removed sensitive national security files from the White House during President Trump’s first administration, allegedly transmitting them to relatives through a private server, senior FBI sources told The Post at the time.
Besides the computers and phones, the list of seized property included two USB sticks, a hard drive, four boxes of printed daily logs, folders of typed papers labeled “Trump I – IV,” and a binder marked “statements and reflections to allied strikes,” as per an itemized inventory released Thursday.
Court records also showed that Bolton is under investigation for potentially breaking two clauses of the Espionage Act of 1917, which forbid the unauthorized handling or removal of defense-related information. He is also suspected of violating a statute that prohibits keeping classified records.
Should Bolton be indicted and convicted on every charge, the possible punishment could total as many as 25 years in prison. Despite the raid, the longtime diplomat has neither been arrested nor formally charged.
The inquiry was put on hold under the Biden administration, but FBI Director Kash Patel revived the case after assuming office in February, once he learned of its existence, officials explained to The Post.
Trump’s Justice Department is now raising concerns about whether the Biden-era FBI’s choice to leave the case untouched—despite Bolton’s open criticism of Trump’s foreign policy—was influenced by politics.
“The [Biden administration] had probable cause to know that he had taken material that was detrimental to the national security of the United States, and they made no effort to retrieve it,” a senior FBI source told The Post following the raid.
“That was a friendly administration to [Bolton],” the official continued. “They kept bashing [Trump] the entire time for ‘weaponizing law enforcement,’ and they — by politically stopping a righteous investigation — are the ones who weaponized law enforcement.”
Since the search, Bolton has returned to his house and remained visible on social media, where he has taken aim at the president’s handling of international relations.
“The White House has set U.S.-India relations back decades, pushing Modi closer to Russia and China,” Bolton wrote on X Wednesday evening. “Beijing has cast itself as an alternative to the U.S. and Donald Trump.”
