Former White House National Security Adviser John Bolton, a long-standing figure in U.S. foreign policy and a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, has found himself at the center of a rapidly intensifying Justice Department investigation. The story, as reported by multiple outlets including CNN and Newsmax, weaves together political intrigue, questions of national security, and the ever-present undercurrents of Washington’s partisan battles.
On August 22, 2025, FBI agents searched Bolton’s Bethesda, Maryland home and his Washington, D.C. office. The search, which began early in the morning, was part of a revived federal probe into the alleged mishandling of classified documents during Bolton’s tenure in government. According to law enforcement officials cited by CNN, investigators collected a substantial trove of material from Bolton’s properties—some of which reportedly bore classification markings dating from 1998 to 2006, when Bolton served as ambassador under President George W. Bush.
At the heart of the case is whether Bolton retained or improperly transmitted sensitive documents after his time in office. Newsmax reports that federal investigators are specifically examining allegations that Bolton, while serving as national security adviser during the first Trump administration, sent highly sensitive classified documents to his wife and daughter via a private email server. This line of inquiry, sources say, is focused on the period before Bolton’s dismissal in September 2019.
The investigation has been anything but straightforward. The probe first opened in 2020 amid public controversy over Bolton’s memoir, The Room Where It Happened, which offered an unflattering account of Trump’s White House. However, under the Biden administration, officials reportedly called for the investigation to be “shut down,” citing concerns over the exposure of U.S. intelligence methods to foreign adversaries if the case went to court, according to Raw Story. The case was revived in 2025, with FBI Director Kash Patel overseeing the renewed effort.
What’s added fuel to the fire this week is a push from senior Justice Department officials to bring criminal charges against Bolton sooner rather than later. Multiple sources told CNN that an attorney from the deputy attorney general’s office pressed the Maryland U.S. attorney’s office to indict Bolton by Friday, September 26, 2025. However, this aggressive timetable has met resistance from prosecutors both in Maryland and at the Justice Department’s national security division in Washington, D.C. Some prosecutors argue that more time is needed to review the evidence and interview witnesses, believing that a stronger case could be assembled by the end of the year.
“Currently, the prosecutors think they could bring a stronger case by the end of the year against Bolton over the mishandling of national security documents, rather than pushing for a charge at this time,” CNN reported, quoting sources familiar with the investigation. The internal debate has become so heated that, according to some accounts, one Justice Department official even considered pulling prosecutors off the case out of opposition to the deputy attorney general’s pressure.
The broader political context cannot be ignored. Trump, who fired Bolton after a series of policy clashes, has been publicly calling for the Justice Department to prosecute his political adversaries. As Raw Story and CNN both note, some at the Justice Department view the push to charge Bolton as an attempt to “placate the president.” The Bolton case is not the only high-profile investigation in the works—former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James have also been named as targets of Trump’s ire. Earlier in September, Trump forced out a U.S. attorney in Virginia who failed to find sufficient evidence to prosecute these figures.
Bolton’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, has pushed back forcefully against the allegations. In a statement released Wednesday, Lowell said, “The documents with classification markings from the period 1998–2006 date back to Amb. Bolton’s time in the George W. Bush Administration. An objective and thorough review will show nothing inappropriate was stored or kept by Ambassador Bolton.” Lowell has consistently maintained that the records in question were typical of those kept by long-serving government officials and that any documents in Bolton’s possession were declassified before he received them. According to CNN, both the Justice Department and Bolton’s legal team declined further comment when contacted by reporters.
Despite the mounting pressure, Bolton has not been arrested or formally charged with any crime. He remains a frequent presence on cable news, offering sharp critiques of Trump’s foreign policy and national security decisions. After leaving the administration, Bolton became known as the highest-ranking Trump official to publicly oppose the withholding of military aid to Ukraine—a key issue during the first impeachment proceedings against Trump. According to testimony from Fiona Hill, who worked under Bolton at the National Security Council, Bolton famously said, “I am not part of whatever drug deal that [former White House chief of staff Mick] Mulvaney and [former EU ambassador Gordon] Sondland are cooking up.”
Trump, for his part, has continued to lob personal attacks at Bolton. In comments to reporters following the FBI raid, Trump said, “I know nothing about it. I just saw it this morning.” He went on to label Bolton a “low-life” but added, “He’s not a smart guy, but he could be a very unpatriotic guy. We’re going to find out.”
Meanwhile, the Justice Department faces criticism from multiple directions. Some officials worry that bringing too many high-profile cases at the president’s request could undermine the department’s credibility and independence. Others argue that waiting too long to file charges could weaken the case or give the appearance of political foot-dragging. The balancing act between legal rigor and political optics is on full display in the Bolton affair.
As the investigation continues, the question remains: will the Justice Department bow to political pressure and rush charges against Bolton, or will prosecutors insist on a more deliberate, evidence-based approach? For now, Bolton’s fate hangs in the balance, as Washington watches—and waits—for the next move.
