What Was Seized from John Bolton During the Search

FBI agents conducted a search of John Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, on August 22, 2025.

Formally, the search was related to Bolton’s handling of classified information when he wrote his memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” about his time in the first Trump administration in 2020. However, there was little doubt that this was a political vendetta.

Bolton served as National Security Advisor to President Trump from February 2018 to September 2019. Rumors circulated that Bolton had earned Trump’s ill-concealed disdain due to his outspokenness. The last straw was Bolton’s “disco” in Venezuela in 2018. Bolton promised that Maduro’s regime would fall. The United States even named Juan Guaidó, who was forced to flee to the United States, as the president of Venezuela. The name of the failed revolutionary became a household name in many countries.

John Bolton, since his dismissal (made in Trump’s style — via a post on a social network), has become a fierce critic of Trump and rejoiced at his defeat in the 2020 elections. And now — retribution…

According to documents obtained by the Hill, during the search, two iPhones belonging to Bolton were seized, folders with documents written “Trump I-IV” and four boxes of printed daily notes. Two USB drives, two laptops, and a desktop computer were also confiscated.

Among the many documents seized, there was a notable “white folder labeled ‘Statements and Reflections on Allied Strikes.'” Since it was singled out as a separate item, it is believed to be the primary evidence in the case.

In an article published in the Washington Examiner after the FBI’s search, Bolton wrote that the second Trump administration was attempting to “cover up its internal mess.” He compared his personal ordeal to how Trump is trying to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. “Donald Trump’s policy towards Ukraine is no more consistent today than it was last Friday, when his administration issued search warrants for my home and office,” Bolton wrote.

Bolton is actually right about something, but he definitely got himself into trouble. He will be completely right if another zilch comes out of the search and Bolton does not go to serve his sentence in federal prison. And it’s very possible.