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Tengrinews.kz – The FBI has stated that it discovered classified documents in the Washington office of former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who served under Donald Trump. According to court records, the bureau seized documents marked “secret,” allegedly related to weapons of mass destruction, Politico reports.
The seized documents also included information regarding the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and records related to the U.S. government's strategic communications.
The search warrant affidavit indicated that FBI agents were looking for evidence connected to three felony offenses, including gathering, transmitting, or losing national defense information in violation of the Espionage Act, and unauthorized retention of classified materials.
U.S. media outlets demanded the release of the documents' contents. In response, the Department of Justice released a redacted version of the inventory of seized materials, the search warrant, and the supporting affidavit — but refused to disclose the information in full.
The materials collected during the search could lead to criminal charges against Bolton. The U.S. government has previously prosecuted individuals for knowingly storing classified information outside of secured or authorized channels.
Bolton’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, stated that the records were authorized for Bolton’s use years ago, and many of them are over 20 years old.
The search warrant for Bolton’s office was approved by Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya — the same judge who, in 2023, received the grand jury indictment against Donald Trump in the election interference case and presided over the hearing, according to the outlet.
Previously, Joe Biden also faced a criminal investigation related to a collection of classified documents found at his Delaware home, but Special Counsel Robert Hur concluded that a jury was unlikely to convict him of a crime.
Trump has long mocked Bolton — after he served as his advisor — calling him a “war-monger.” Bolton’s supporters fear that the FBI searches of his home and office may have been driven by Trump’s public calls for retribution against his opponents.
