type: timeline_event
FBI agents raided the home of former National Security Advisor John Bolton on August 22, 2025. The raid was directed by FBI Director Kash Patel.
Context: Bolton, who served as Trump's National Security Advisor from April 2018 to September 2019, became one of Trump's most vocal Republican critics. His 2020 memoir "The Room Where It Happened" detailed Trump's conduct in office and Bolton testified during Trump's first impeachment proceedings. Trump had repeatedly expressed anger toward Bolton and publicly stated his desire for retribution.
The raid preceded Bolton's indictment on October 16, 2025, on 18 federal counts. The prosecution was widely characterized as political retaliation, fitting the pattern of DOJ targeting of Trump critics alongside the Comey, James, Powell, and Schiff cases.