President Donald Trump told reporters Friday morning that he did not receive advance notice regarding the FBI raid carried out at John Bolton’s Maryland home.
Sources familiar with the investigation told the Washington Examiner Friday that the raid, which took place that morning, stemmed from a yearslong investigation into Bolton’s handling of classified documents.
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Bolton, a Trump critic who once served as his national security adviser, was not detained Friday morning but is still expected to be charged, according to those sources.
“I know nothing about it, I just saw it this morning [that] they did a raid,” the president said during a brief press availability near the White House, adding that he’ll “probably” be briefed on the investigation and raid later in the day.
“[Bolton’s] very bad at what he does,” Trump continued. “He’s like a very quiet person except on television, who can say something bad about Trump. He’ll always do that. But he really doesn’t talk.”
Trump added that he told Attorney General Pam Bondi and Justice Department officials he doesn’t “want to know about” the Bolton case.
“You have to do what you have to do. I don’t want to know about it. It’s not necessary,” he said. “I could know about it. I could be the one starting it. I’m actually the chief law enforcement officer, but I feel that it’s better this way.”
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After being fired by Trump in 2019, Bolton, who takes a more hawkish stance on foreign policy, has frequently criticized the president, including his recent handling of the war in Ukraine.
However, senior administration officials told the Washington Examiner that the investigation into Bolton was opened in 2020. The Biden administration eventually halted the inquiry, which FBI Director Kash Patel reopened earlier this year.