John Bolton, once a central figure in Donald Trump’s administration and now one of his most vocal critics, finds himself at the center of a political and legal storm after FBI raids on his Maryland home and Washington, D.C. office last week. The events, which unfolded on August 22, 2025, have reignited fierce debate over the intersection of national security, presidential power, and freedom of speech in the United States.
Bolton, who previously served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and as Trump’s national security adviser, has not been shy about his concerns. Speaking at an online event just days after the raids, he addressed the withdrawal of his Secret Service protection—a move made on Trump’s inauguration day. “So yeah, I feel ... concerned about that, more than anything else. But you know it's the environment we operate in, and you can either just be overwhelmed by it, or keep going. So I plan to keep going,” Bolton said, according to Reuters.
The FBI’s actions last Friday were part of a national security probe into the potential criminal release of classified information. Law enforcement confirmed activity at both Bolton’s Maryland residence and his office in D.C., but details remain closely guarded. The timing and nature of the raids have raised eyebrows, especially given Bolton’s history: his Secret Service detail was originally assigned after the Justice Department determined that Iran had threatened his life.
Bolton wasted little time in voicing his frustration. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) during the search, he wrote, “Donald Trump’s Ukraine policy today is no more coherent than it was last Friday when his administration executed search warrants against my home and office. Collapsing in confusion and haste, Trump’s negotiations may be in their last throes, along with his Nobel Peace Prize campaign.” The pointed criticism was just the latest salvo from Bolton, who has consistently called Trump unfit for office since his departure from the White House.
Bolton’s critique of Trump’s foreign policy, particularly regarding Ukraine, has only intensified in recent weeks. Writing for The Washington Examiner on August 25, Bolton described Trump’s Ukraine strategy as “utterly incoherent.” He accused the president of making “several significant mistakes” in the last two weeks, including failing to sanction Russia and China while instead imposing tariffs on India, a U.S. ally. “His efforts over the last two-plus weeks may have left us further from peace and a just settlement for Ukraine than before,” Bolton argued, highlighting what he sees as a lack of meaningful progress despite high-profile meetings and international visits.
Bolton also took aim at Trump’s about-face on Ukraine policy. Following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, Trump reportedly dropped his demand for a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict. Bolton criticized the president for touting the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, noting that “no meeting appears likely anytime soon.”
As the FBI searched his home, Bolton posted a message casting doubt on the prospects for peace talks, suggesting that Russia’s true aim was to “drag Ukraine into a new Russian empire.” According to The Telegraph, it remains unclear if the post was scheduled in advance or shared as agents arrived.
The political reverberations have extended across the Atlantic. Bolton reshared comments from William Hague, the former British foreign secretary, who called the FBI raid “suspicious.” Hague told Times Radio, “That is a potential encroachment on freedom of speech and liberty that a free press has to call and call attention to.” He also noted that the raid occurred just days after Trump had been “enraged” by Bolton’s criticisms of his Ukraine approach.
Trump, for his part, has denied any involvement in the FBI’s actions. On August 25 and 26, he told reporters he was unaware of the raids until seeing them on television. “I’m not a fan of John Bolton ... He could be a very unpatriotic guy. We’re going to find out,” Trump remarked, before labeling Bolton a “low-life” in response to his former aide’s ongoing public attacks. The president has also lashed out at media outlets for quoting “really dumb people like John Bolton,” particularly after Bolton stated that “Putin had clearly won” following their recent meeting in Alaska.
The roots of this latest confrontation stretch back to Trump’s first term, when the Justice Department sued Bolton and launched a criminal investigation over allegations that he shared classified information in his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir. Bolton has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, accusing White House officials of acting improperly to suppress his critical account of the administration. The investigation, which has now spilled into Trump’s current term, underscores the ongoing tension between the former adviser and the president he once served.
Bolton’s situation is further complicated by the broader political climate. Since returning to power, Trump has made no secret of his willingness to use the criminal justice system against political rivals. His administration has arrested the Democratic mayor of a New Jersey city, filed criminal charges against a Democratic U.S. representative, and initiated federal investigations into a Democratic U.S. senator, a Democratic state attorney general, and, just this week, a governor of the Federal Reserve. Critics argue that these moves represent a dangerous politicization of law enforcement, while Trump’s supporters maintain that the president is simply holding officials accountable.
The recent spate of international diplomacy has done little to ease tensions. European leaders, including Zelensky, traveled to Washington, D.C., last week for meetings with Trump, but both Bolton and Hague observed that little substantive progress had been made on the Ukraine crisis. “Very little progress has actually been made in the last few weeks despite all this rushing around the world that everybody’s been doing because everybody’s just trying to please Trump,” Hague commented, as reported by The Telegraph.
For Bolton, the stakes remain high. Having already survived an Iranian assassination threat, he now faces the dual challenges of legal scrutiny and diminished personal security. Yet, as he told listeners during the online event, he has no intention of backing down. “You can either just be overwhelmed by it, or keep going. So I plan to keep going,” he said, encapsulating the defiant spirit that has defined his post-White House career.
As the investigation unfolds and the political battles rage on, the story of John Bolton—once a trusted adviser, now a prominent critic and target—serves as a stark reminder of the volatility and high stakes that define American politics in 2025.
