President Trump has launched a scathing attack on John Bolton after the FBI raided his home in a dramatic development.
Mr Bolton previously served as the US President’s National Security Adviser, but has since become one of his biggest critics.
The FBI searched the home of Mr Bolton with agents seen in the Washington DC suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.
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The search is related to an investigation over classified documents.
President Trump was scathing in his assessment of his former adviser
|GB NEWS / GETTY /REUTERS
Speaking to reporters, President Trump admitted he “didn’t know” about the raid, but took the opportunity to stick the boot in on his former ally.
“I don’t know about it, I saw it on television this morning”, he said.
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“He’s a low life. When I hired him, he served a good purpose because he was one of the people who forced Bush to do the ridiculous bombings in the Middle East.
“He’s very bad at what he does. He worked out great for me because he doesn’t talk, he’s a very quiet person, except on television where he would say something bad about Trump.
President Trump said he was unaware about plans to raid John Bolton's home
|GB NEWS
“I’d walk into a room with him in a foreign country and they would give me everything because they would go, ‘oh no, we’re going to get blown up because John Bolton’s here’.
“He’s not a smart guy. He could be a very unpatriotic guy, we’re going to find out.”
FBI Director Kash Patel authorised the high-profile national security investigation, which reportedly concerns classified documents. Shortly after the raid began, Mr Patel posted on X: "NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission."
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino amplified the message, stating "Public corruption will not be tolerated."
Attorney General Pam Bondi also weighed in, declaring "America's safety isn't negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always."
The investigation reportedly focuses on Mr Bolton's controversial 2020 memoir "The Room Where It Happened" and allegations that it contained classified material.
A senior US official revealed that the probe was initially launched several years ago but was subsequently terminated by the Biden administration "for political reasons."
The Trump administration's Justice Department had opened an inquiry into the book in September 2020.
John Bolton's wife, Gretchen Smith Bolton, outside of their house in Maryland | REUTERSGovernment lawyers argued the memoir contained classified national security information, including details about US intelligence sources and methods, foreign policy deliberations, and conversations with foreign leaders.
In June 2021, the Biden Justice Department dropped both the criminal investigation and civil lawsuit against Bolton regarding the memoir.
The Trump administration had attempted to prevent the book's publication, arguing that Mr Bolton had violated a non-disclosure agreement signed during his employment.
President Trump's legal team maintained that the memoir revealed national secrets, but a federal judge ultimately permitted its release.
John Bolton previously criticised Donald Trump on GB News | GB NEWSMr Bolton's legal representatives countered that a senior career official responsible for the NSC's prepublication review process had spent four months examining the manuscript.
After requesting multiple revisions, this official determined the book contained no classified information.
The memoir presented a critical portrayal of the Trump White House, including allegations that Trump had "pleaded" with Chinese President Xi Jinping for assistance with his re-election campaign.
Mr Bolton departed the Trump administration in 2019 after the President dismissed him due to fundamental policy disagreements.
The former UN ambassador, recognised for his hawkish foreign policy stance, has offered mixed assessments of President Trump since his departure.
In 2022, Mr Bolton stated that President Trump lacked both the competence and character required for the presidency.
However, he endorsed President Trump's military action against Iranian nuclear facilities in June, describing it as "a decisive action" and "the right thing to do," whilst praising its potential to create "huge change in the Middle East."
President Trump has criticised Mr Bolton for advocating American military involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts.