FBI Raids Former National Security Advisor's Home in Classified Records Probe

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents conducted a raid on the home and office of the former National Security Advisor in Maryland and Washington D.C. on Friday morning. The raid was part of a national security investigation aimed at finding classified records. The investigation is focused on multiple incidents involving the leaking of classified documents to the media. The probe began during the Biden administration but did not progress further before Biden's term ended in January.

Around 1:40 PM Eastern Time, witnesses observed ten FBI agents exiting the office on M Street, each carrying boxes. A source close to the former National Security Advisor suggested that the raid was a response to his frequent criticisms of the Trump administration, including his book "The Room Where It Happened." "This is pure retaliation," the source stated. The former National Security Advisor served in this role from April 2018 to September 2019.

An FBI official stated on Friday, "The FBI is conducting court-authorized activity in the area. There is no threat to public safety." This statement indicated that a judge had signed a search warrant for the residence in Bethesda, a suburb of Washington D.C. The raid began around 7:00 AM Eastern Time, and it was unclear whether the former National Security Advisor was at home. A woman, believed to be his wife, was present at the residence. He appeared at his home around 3:00 PM on Friday.

Approximately half an hour after the raid began, the former National Security Advisor took to Twitter to discuss the Russia-Ukraine conflict, stating that the would continue to push for meetings on the conflict "because Trump wants the Nobel Peace Prize, but I don't think these talks have made any progress." Meanwhile, FBI Director Christopher Wray tweeted, "No one is above the law. FBI agents are executing their duties." His agents were simultaneously raiding the former National Security Advisor's home.

Attorney General Merrick Garland retweeted Wray's post, stating, "America's security is non-negotiable. Justice will be served. Period." Wray's deputy, Dan Bongino, posted on X, "Public corruption is intolerable." Later, the told reporters that he was unaware of the raid but expected to receive a briefing later that evening. He also stated that he was "not a fan" of the former National Security Advisor, referring to him as a "lowlife." A Trump administration official claimed that Wray ordered the investigation into the former National Security Advisor.

On August 13, the launched a scathing attack on the former National Security Advisor after his former advisor criticized the for agreeing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "The extremely unfair media is making a big deal out of my meeting with Putin. They keep quoting fired losers and truly stupid people like John Bolton, who just said that despite the meeting being on American soil, 'Putin has already won,'" the wrote on Truth Social. "What is going on? We are winning everything." On August 17, following the meeting with Putin, the wrote, "This conflict can end now, but stupid people like Senator Chris Murphy and John Bolton are making it more difficult."

In January, the revoked the Secret Service protection for the former National Security Advisor after taking the oath of office. Previously, the former National Security Advisor had been under Secret Service protection due to an Iranian plot to assassinate him. Earlier, the was sued in a Florida federal court for retaining classified government records at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach after leaving the White House in January 2021 and attempting to prevent government officials from retrieving these records.

The announced on September 10, 2019, that he had actually fired the former National Security Advisor the previous evening. "I, along with many others in the government, strongly opposed many of his suggestions. Therefore, I asked John to resign, and his resignation was handed to me this morning. I am very grateful for John's service," the tweeted that day. The Justice Department dropped the case shortly after the was elected in late 2024, as the department's policy is not to prosecute sitting presidents. In 2020, during the final year of the 's first term, the Justice Department sued the former National Security Advisor to prevent the publication and sale of his book "The Room Where It Happened," which criticized his tenure as the 's National Security Advisor. That year, a Justice Department lawyer told a judge that the book "flagrantly violated" the former National Security Advisor's agreement not to write about classified matters. In June 2021, five months after Biden took office, the Justice Department dropped the lawsuit. The former National Security Advisor served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during the presidency of George W. Bush.