JD Vance denies FBI raid on John Bolton's home was political retribution

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JD Vance insists FBI searching Bolton home ‘not at all’ about political retribution

Vice President JD Vance denied Friday that the FBI searched former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton’s home for political retribution.

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Vice President JD Vance denied Friday that the FBI searched former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton’s home as political retribution.

Vance made the statements in an NBC "Meet the Press" interview, just hours after Bolton’s Maryland home was raided. Vance said the FBI’s move was part of an "ongoing investigation" into Bolton and not based on any political strife between him and the Trump administration.

When asked by NBC host Kristen Welker whether the search was motivated by Bolton's criticism of President Donald Trump, Vance replied, "No, not at all."

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Vice President JD Vance denied any political motive for Friday's FBI raid on John Bolton's home.  (Bloomberg/Getty: Logan Cyrus/Getty)

"And in fact, if we were trying to do that, we would just throw out prosecutions willy-nilly, like the Biden administration DOJ did. Prosecutions that later got thrown out in court. If we bring a case, and of course, we haven't done that yet," he added.

Fox News Digital also spotted agents at Bolton's Washington, D.C., office removing boxes, and Bolton was seen in the building's lobby.

Vance told Welker that classified documents were part of the reason for the raid but noted there was a broader concern about Bolton, who served as national security advisor during Trump's first term. He has since become a staunch critic of the president.

"I’ll let the FBI speak to that," Vance said. "Classified documents are certainly part of it, but I think that there's a broad concern about Ambassador Bolton. They're going to look into it. And like I said, if there's no crime here, we're not going to prosecute it. If there is a crime here, of course, Ambassador Bolton will get his day in court."

He added, "That's how it should be. But again, our focus here is on, did he break the law? Did he commit crimes against the American people? If so, then he deserves to be prosecuted."

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FBI agents are seen loading boxes into a vehicle after searching the D.C. office of former National Security Advisor John Bolton on Aug. 22, 2025. (Fox News Digital)

Trump told reporters he saw the raid on television Friday morning and did not know details about the investigation.

A probe into Bolton’s handling of classified documents was first launched years ago but later shut down by the Biden administration "for political reasons," according to a senior U.S. official.

The Justice Department under Trump’s first administration argued that Bolton’s 2020 memoir, "The Room Where It Happened," contained classified material and sought to block its publication. A federal judge ultimately allowed the book, which contained behind-the-scenes accounts of his time working with Trump, to be published.

Once Biden took office, his Justice Department abandoned both a criminal inquiry and civil lawsuit against Bolton over the memoir, ending the legal battle at that time.

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John Bolton's home was raided by federal agents on Friday. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Since being fired by Trump during his first term, Bolton has frequently spoken out against the president.

He slammed Trump’s handling of classified documents, which led to an FBI raid on the former president’s Mar-a-Lago home in 2022 and a subsequent federal indictment, but insisted the legal process should play out. Bolton has also said Trump lacked the competence and character to be president.

Trump has not spoken highly of Bolton since their time together. He has often criticized Bolton for pushing U.S. involvement in wars in the Middle East. 

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

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