Search Warrant Reveals Classified Docs, WMD References Found in Bolton’s Office
Federal investigators uncovered secret and confidential documents in the Washington, D.C. office of former National Security Adviser John Bolton, according to newly released court filings.
The August 22 search, authorized by U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya, turned up travel memos marked “secret” as well as records tied to the U.S. mission to the United Nations, strategic communications, and even references to weapons of mass destruction. FBI agents also seized laptops and other devices, though their contents remain undisclosed.
The Justice Department is investigating whether Bolton violated the Espionage Act by mishandling classified national defense materials. Court filings point to concerns that sensitive information, including emails sent during Bolton’s White House tenure, may have been exploited by a foreign intelligence service. Bolton’s old AOL account was reportedly hacked, though officials have not revealed which foreign power was responsible.
A parallel search at Bolton’s Bethesda, Maryland, residence seized additional electronics but found no classified material.
This isn’t the first time Bolton’s handling of sensitive documents has raised alarms. In 2020, the Trump administration sought to block publication of his memoir, The Room Where It Happened, arguing it contained classified information. A federal judge at the time suggested Bolton’s conduct could be criminal, though the Biden DOJ later dropped the case in 2021.
Bolton’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, dismissed the latest revelations: “These materials, many of which are documents that had been previously approved as part of a pre-publication review for Ambassador Bolton’s book, were reviewed and closed years ago.” He added that some date back to Bolton’s service under President George W. Bush, insisting an objective review will show “nothing inappropriate.”
The DOJ, however, maintains that classified designations do not expire and that materials tied to nuclear or WMD programs remain sensitive indefinitely.
The political angle cannot be ignored. Bolton, once a trusted Trump adviser, became one of his harshest critics after leaving the administration in 2019. The fact that DOJ prosecutors are now scrutinizing him under the same statutes once used against President Trump underscores the double standards at play in Washington’s permanent bureaucracy.
Redacted affidavits and inventories were released after media outlets petitioned for access, underscoring the public stakes. If Bolton knowingly retained classified records outside secure channels, he could face serious felony charges.
For conservatives, the irony is unmistakable: a man who turned on Trump, pushed reckless foreign policy, and cashed in with a tell-all book now finds himself under investigation for the very violations Democrats once tried to pin on the president.