The FBI found classified documents at former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s office during a recent federal raid on the Washington, D.C., location, according to court filings.
Agents raided Bolton’s downtown office in late August as part of an investigation believed to be surrounding classified information Bolton was accused of illegally leaking in his 2020 book, The Room Where It Happened.
On Tuesday, newly filed court documents shed further light on the probe. Those files recorded the FBI’s apprehension of materials marked classified, “confidential,” and “secret” during the agency’s operation, according to Politico.
The documents from Bolton’s tenure as national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term in office that were marked classified related to weapons of mass destruction, travel memo records bore a secret label, and confidential files referenced the U.S. mission to the United Nations, as well as the government’s strategic communications.
The same day the FBI raided Bolton’s office, agents searched his Maryland residence as part of its investigation. The FBI affidavit used to execute the search warrant alleges he used a private email account that was hacked by a “foreign entity” and wrongly shared classified information, according to documents viewed by Axios. Agents also seized Bolton’s computers, hard drives, and files labeled “Trump.”
THE LEGAL CASES AGAINST TRUMP THAT REMAIN IN LIMBO
The FBI is seeking evidence that Bolton, who became a harsh critic of Trump after being pushed out of his national security position, violated three statutes: Section 793 of Title 18, the Espionage Act, which criminalizes the unauthorized retention or transmission of national defense information; and Section 1924, which prohibits the unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the FBI for comment.