FBI agents depart from the office of former national security adviser John Bolton in Washington, D.C., on August 22, 2025, carrying several boxes and other materials. Photograph by Andrew Leyden/Getty Images.
Based on data from CNN
Following a late-August search of the office of former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, the FBI seized several documents bearing marks of “secret”, “confidential”, and “classified”, including materials related to weapons of mass destruction. This is according to court records that have become part of the investigation into possible mishandling of safeguarded documents.
The new details shed light on what evidence investigators have gathered as they consider bringing criminal charges against Bolton for violations of classified-document preservation rules and improper handling of national defense materials.
Bolton’s manuscript for the book The Room Where It Happened originally contained classified details, but at present no charges have been filed against him.
During Bolton’s recent office search, agents found a notebook containing materials related to the State Department security briefing for the 2000–2001 transition of power, as well as documents on a communications plan, the U.S. mission to the United Nations, travel, and weapons of mass destruction, according to an inventory list filed with the court and released to the media this week. Earlier publications referenced materials related to access to these records.
An FBI inventory list specifically notes that the property seized from Bolton’s Washington, D.C., office on August 22 included: “Documents marked Secret”; “Confidential documents of the U.N. mission”; “Strategic plan for government communications – confidential documents”; and “Confidential documents with a (redacted) heading “Weapons of Mass Destruction” – classified documents.
Confidentiality and secrecy are both classification levels for national security documents.
Four computers and USB flash drives were also seized from Bolton’s office.
According to a source familiar with Bolton’s office, the paper documents there may not have belonged to the Trump administration and could be twenty years old or older – dating from earlier administrations when he served as deputy secretary of state and U.N. ambassador in the second Bush administration.
The age of the documents may matter, since they could have been declassified or stored for many years. Bolton, now 76, has operated a private office for political and analytical work since 2014, according to public filings.
Bolton’s attorney Abbe Lowell stressed in public statements that Bolton’s materials were typical for a long-serving government official.
“Documents bearing classification markings from 1998–2006 relate to Bolton’s time serving as ambassador in the George W. Bush administration,” Abbe Lowell said in a statement on Wednesday. “An objective and thorough review will show that nothing improper was preserved or retained by Ambassador Bolton.”
Legal authorities confirmed that the grand jury continues the investigation, and potential violations of laws regarding unauthorized preservation of classified records and improper handling of national defense materials are being considered.
Earlier materials regarding Bolton’s home search and related documents also appeared in publications, including images with further details: a notebook titled “Testimony and Reflections on Allied Strikes” and folders marked “Trump I–IV,” as well as seized phones and data storage devices.
Clearly, the investigation is ongoing, and authorities will gather more evidence that could shape the next steps in the case regarding Bolton’s possible mishandling of classified records and his role in national defense documents.
We recommend paying attention to:
- Federal investigators suspected classified documents at John Bolton’s Maryland home due to a foreign hack of his AOL account, central to the investigation into unauthorized handling of secret materials.
- FBI searched former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s home and office over possible unauthorized handling of classified documents, linked to a criminal investigation involving national defense information.
- Ryan Ruth found guilty of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at a Florida golf club, highlighting national security concerns and legal interpretations of intent.
