The FBI said it recovered classified documents and files marked “secret” from the office of Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton.
Agents carried out a sweep of the Washington D.C. office of Bolton, now a vocal Trump critic and nemesis of the president, the same day it carried out an early morning raid at his home in Bethesda, Maryland, on Aug. 22.
An inventory of items seized during the office search, obtained by Politico, shows Bolton had classified files discussing weapons of mass destruction, “secret” travel memos, and “confidential” files related to a U.S. mission to the United Nations and government strategic communications.
The FBI did not specify the volume of material recovered from Bolton’s office but said it included folders marked “confidential” that contained pages labeled “secret.” Court filings indicated that no sensitive materials were removed from Bolton’s home.
In its search warrant application, the FBI said it was gathering evidence related to allegations of conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose defense information, and the unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents.
Bolton, who Trump fired in 2019, has previously faced accusations of mishandling classified information by publishing details in his memoir, The Room Where It Happened, which the first Trump administration tried and failed to block from publication.
The Department of Justice opened an investigation into Bolton in September 2020, in the final few months of Trump’s first term, but the case was dropped in June 2021 under President Joe Biden, with no charges being brought.
In an updated paperback edition of his book, released in January 2024, Bolton predicted that Trump would use a second term to enact revenge on his political foes.
“Trump really cares only about retribution for himself, and it will consume much of a second term,” he wrote.
Trump was accused of hoarding and mishandling classified materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort home after he left office in January 2021, and then attempting to obstruct the FBI’s attempt to retrieve them.
He pleaded not guilty to 37 counts in the federal investigation, which he dismissed as a politically motivated “witch hunt.” The case was later thrown out by Judge Aileen Cannon, who cited issues with the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith.
Although Smith sought to appeal, the case effectively ended after Trump’s 2024 election victory, as the DOJ has a longstanding policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.
The Daily Beast has contacted Bolton’s legal team for comment.
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