Washington, Aug 23 (UNI) The FBI conducted a court-authorized search at former national security adviser John Bolton’s home and office as part of a renewed investigation into whether he disclosed classified information in his 2020 book, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The investigative step immediately drew criticism that President Donald Trump was using the muscle of the US government to target a political foe, though the specific basis for the searches was not clear, reports CNN.
Bolton served as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser in his first term, but the president fired him in 2019 and the two have been sharply at odds ever since.
Trump had previously threatened to jail Bolton over the 2020 book, which was critical of Trump’s foreign policy nowledge,
The Justice Department had also investigated him in Trump’s first-term. That probe was closed by his successor President Joe Biden.
Since Trump’s return to office, Bolton has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of his foreign policy and ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine, often deriding the president for his perceived deference to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
CNN observed FBI personnel at Bolton’s house in the Washington, DC, area on Friday morning. They were seen speaking to a person on the porch of the house, and at least four to six agents were seen going inside. Some of the agents took bags out of the vehicles to bring inside, but nothing was seen coming out of the residence.
The FBI also searched Bolton’s office on Friday morning, according to a source.
CNN saw several unmarked federal vehicles outside the building in downtown Washington. Investigators are also exploring other possible leaks as a form of “weaponization,” a source said.
