A team of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Friday morning raided the house of John Bolton, who was the National Security Advisor to the Trump administration during his first term. According to the New York Post, the raids were conducted by the FBI agents at Bolton’s house in Bethesda, Maryland, as part of an investigation ordered by FBI Chief Kash Patel.
Shortly after the raids, the FBI Chief Kash Patel posted a cryptic message on x, which said, “NO ONE is above the law…@FBI agents on mission”.
NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) August 22, 2025
The investigation, which was launched years ago, reportedly involves classified documents. It was shut down by the previous Biden administration. Bolton has been at loggerheads with Trump since he was accused of disclosing classified information in his book titled “The Room Where it Happened” in 2020.
Trump unsuccessfully tried to stop the publication of the book, citing the inclusion of ‘national secrets’. He said that Bolton breached a non-disclosure agreement, which was signed by him as a condition of his employment in the first Trump administration. Subsequently, an inquiry was opened into the book in September 2020 by the Justice Department. However, the case was closed by the Biden administration.
A day before the raid, Kash Patel accused former FBI Director James Comey of authorising leaks of classified documents and “misleading Congress” before the 2016 elections.
The raid comes amid the vocal criticism by Bolton of the Trump administration’s national security and foreign policies. He has been appearing on TV channels criticising Trump over his policies, and has supported India’s stand on the tariff and Russian oil issue.
A day before the highly anticipated meeting between Russia and the US, Bolton described Trump’s decision to selectively impose tariffs on India for buying Russian oil and to exempt China, which also buys Russian oil, as a “lack of focus’ and “unforced error” by the Trump administration.
When Trump slapped tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, but not China which also purchases Russia oil, it may have pushed India further into the Beijing-Moscow axis. This lack of focus by the Trump Admin is an unforced error. pic.twitter.com/7lXNpyMg79
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) August 14, 2025
“Leaving India hanging out to dry as the only country to which punitive action has been taken obviously leads a lot of people to conclude that the United States has given up on India. I do worry that India is being driven closer to Russia and China,” Bolton said. He added that the US sanctions on Russia do not technically prohibit India from buying the Russian oil or even reselling it in the international market.
According to Bolton, Trump’s “lack of strategic thinking and priorities” has pushed India closer to Russia, which is against the interests of the US.
India has reacted very strongly against Trump's decision to impose tariffs for purchasing Russian oil and gas, potentially driving India closer to Russia, contrary to US national interests. This unforced US error shows the Administration's lack of strategic thinking and…
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) August 15, 2025
Bolton predicted that after the imposition of Trump’s tariffs on India, both China and Russia would try to draw India closer, which, according to Bolton, would have negative consequences for the US.
Notably, PM Modi had a telephone conversation with Putin last week, in which he invited the Russian President to India for the India-Russia Annual Summit, later this year. Besides, after a gap of seven years, PM Modi is expected to visit China later this month for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin.
