Over seven years, John Bolton went from a center figure on President Trump’s foreign policy team to one of his frequent critics.
The soured relationship between Mr. Trump and Mr. Bolton, his former national security adviser, took another turn on Friday when F.B.I. agents searched Mr. Bolton’s home in Maryland home and office in Washington.
The investigation seeks to determine whether he illegally shared or possessed classified information, according to two people familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe it.
The F.B.I.’s searches came only days after Mr. Trump attacked Mr. Bolton over his criticism of the president’s approach to Russia.
He has worked for four presidents.
Mr. Bolton, an adviser to several presidents and a longtime advocate of military action overseas, is one of the more outspoken hawks in the Republican Party. A lawyer, Mr. Bolton served in the presidential administrations of Ronald Reagan, George Bush and George W. Bush, eventually rising to become ambassador to the United Nations, before joining Mr. Trump’s cabinet during his first term. Mr. Bolton is a vocal supporter of the Iraq war.
Mr. Bolton was pushed out in September 2019, just 17 months after he was tapped to be Mr. Trump’s third national security adviser, amid major disputes over how to handle foreign policy challenges like Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan. Mr. Trump and Mr. Bolton also disagreed on the nature of the latter’s removal. The president claimed he fired his adviser; Mr. Bolton said he resigned.
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