Washington/New Delhi: The FBI raided the home of John Bolton, former US National Security Adviser under Donald Trump and now a vocal critic of the administration. The raid is linked to an investigation into the handling of classified documents, the Associated Press reported.
FBI Director Kash Patel posted cryptically on X: “No one is above the law… FBI agents on mission.” Attorney General Pam Bondi amplified the message, adding: “America’s safety isn’t negotiable.” Neither mentioned Bolton by name.
The move comes just days after Bolton publicly slammed Trump’s “penalty” tariffs on India, warning they could push New Delhi closer to Moscow and Beijing. In recent interviews, Bolton argued that if Washington had issues with the G7’s Russian oil price-cap mechanism, the problem lay in the system’s design—not with India.
Since returning to the White House, Trump revoked Bolton’s security clearances and withdrew his protection detail. Tensions between the two date back to Bolton’s tenure (2018–2019), when clashes over Iran, Russia, and other foreign policy issues led to his ouster. Trump insists he fired Bolton; Bolton says he resigned.
Bolton, who once served as US Ambassador to the UN under George W. Bush, has remained an outspoken critic. His 2020 memoir The Room Where It Happened drew legal challenges from the Trump administration.
The FBI’s search underscores the growing rift between the former president and his onetime national security chief—now in the spotlight again over both classified documents and criticism of Trump’s India policy.
