Here’s what FBI agents took from John Bolton’s house in raid — and what charges he could face
WASHINGTON — Federal agents seized three computers, two iPhones and reams of documents from former Trump national security adviser John Bolton’s house during their Aug. 22 raid, according to court records — which also revealed that the 76-year-old could soon face charges that may land him in prison for more than a decade.
The feds raided Bolton’s Bethesda, Md., home and Washington, DC, office as part of an investigation into allegations that he snuck national security files out of the White House during President Trump’s first term by emailing them to family members on a private server, high-ranking FBI officials told The Post at the time.
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In addition to the high-tech hardware, agents confiscated two USB drives, a hard drive, four boxes of “printed daily activities,” “typed documents in folders labeled ‘Trump I – IV’” and a white binder labeled “statements and reflections to allied strikes,” according to an inventory made public Thursday.
The warrant also revealed that Bolton is being looked at for allegedly violating two sections of the Espionage Act of 1917 forbidding unauthorized possession or removal of national defense information, and another law preventing hoarding of classified files.
If tried and convicted on all counts, Bolton could face up to 25 years behind bars. The longtime diplomat has not been arrested or charged with a crime.
Investigators shelved the case during the Biden administration, leaving current FBI Director Kash Patel to reopen the probe upon learning of its existence about a month after taking office in February, the officials told The Post.
Now, Trump’s Justice Department is questioning whether the Biden FBI’s decision not to pursue the case against one of the most staunch Trump foreign policy critics was politically motivated.
“The [Biden administration] had probable cause to know that he had taken material that was detrimental to the national security of the United States, and they made no effort to retrieve it,” a senior FBI official told The Post shortly after the raid.
“That was a friendly administration to [Bolton],” the official further alleged. “They kept bashing [Trump] the entire time for ‘weaponizing law enforcement,’ and they — by politically stopping a righteous investigation — are the ones who weaponized law enforcement.”
Bolton has since returned to his home and maintained an active presence on X, attacking the president’s maneuvers on the world stage.
“The White House has set U.S.-India relations back decades, pushing Modi closer to Russia and China,” Bolton posted to X late Wednesday. “Beijing has cast itself as an alternative to the U.S. and Donald Trump.”