Trump, Bolton and the Politics of Retribution: Inside the FBI Raid

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton speaks to the media outside the White House April 30, 2019. [Photo by Yuri Gripas]

On Aug. 22, federal agents executed search warrants at former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s Maryland residence and Washington, D.C., office. The FBI operation, part of an investigation into alleged mishandling of classified information, quickly escalated into one of the most politically charged flash points of Donald Trump’s second term.

Officials close to the investigation maintain that the raid is strictly about concerns over improperly handled classified documents. Critics, however, argue that the circumstances suggest otherwise, pointing to Trump’s well-documented animosity toward Bolton — once a key insider who has become one of his most outspoken critics.

Vice President J.D. Vance defended the move on NBC as legitimate law enforcement. “This is about classified documents, not politics,” Vance said, though his repeated use of “we” when describing the investigation raised eyebrows. Traditionally, Justice Department investigations are walled off from political figures outside the department. For many in Washington, the vice president’s public involvement reinforced the suspicion that the raid was politically motivated.

Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser from April 2018 until September 2019, has been in the president’s crosshairs for years. On Trump’s first day back in the Oval Office in January, Bolton lost his national security clearance and Secret Service detail, moves widely viewed as retaliatory.

The animosity stems from Bolton’s 2020 memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” which painted Trump as erratic and self-interested. The Trump administration sued to seize Bolton’s profits, claiming he disclosed classified material. A federal judge allowed the book to proceed but scolded Bolton, noting he “likely jeopardized national security.” Trump used the ruling to attack Bolton further, calling him “a lowlife who should be in jail.”

That history has fueled widespread belief that the August raids reflect Trump’s long-running vendetta. Bolton himself has described the current administration as a “retribution presidency.”

After the raid, Trump publicly distanced himself from its planning. “I had no knowledge,” he said in the Oval Office before launching into a tirade against Bolton, labeling him a “sleazebag” and “lowlife.” 

The denials did little to quiet speculation of retribution. For many observers, the president’s rhetoric — combined with the elevation to FBI director of Kash Patel, who in his 2023 book, “Government Gangsters,” published what was widely seen as an enemies list of about 60 officials he called “Members of the Executive Branch Deep State,” including Bolton — has all but erased the perception of Justice Department independence.

The Bolton searches mark another step in the erosion of institutional norms. Never before has the FBI raided the home of a former national security adviser under a president who has publicly advocated for his prosecution. Even more troubling for watchdog groups, the intervention of senior White House officials like Vance has blurred the traditional separation between politics and law enforcement.