John Bolton, who served as President Trump’s National Security Advisor, is at the center of a major scandal after reports revealed he transmitted classified emails over a private server that were later intercepted by a hostile foreign intelligence service. The revelation, leaked to The New York Times, marks a stunning development in an investigation that could lead to charges under the Espionage Act.
Federal authorities raided Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C. office last Friday morning as part of the renewed inquiry. According to The New York Post, the FBI is examining allegations that Bolton sent “highly sensitive” classified documents to his wife and daughter using an unsecured email server while he was still working at the White House. Sources say the messages contained national defense information that should never have left a secure system.
The probe originally began in 2020 when Bolton came under fire for using classified material in his memoir, The Room Where It Happened. The Biden administration later shelved the investigation, but FBI Director Kash Patel ordered it reopened, leading to the dramatic searches last week.
What makes the latest revelation particularly alarming is that U.S. intelligence officials reportedly uncovered Bolton’s emails not through domestic monitoring, but by intercepting data collected from an adversarial country’s spy service. According to The New York Times, the foreign agency had possession of Bolton’s communications, raising serious questions about whether national security secrets may have been compromised.
The emails in question appear to show Bolton sending information derived from classified briefings to family members who were helping him prepare material for his 2020 book. Investigators are now focused on whether this conduct constitutes a violation of sections of the Espionage Act, which makes it a crime to transmit or retain defense-related intelligence outside secure channels.
Bolton, who was dismissed by Trump in September 2019, has since become one of the former president’s fiercest critics. His vocal opposition has fueled speculation that the renewed investigation is politically motivated. However, officials close to the inquiry insist the case is grounded in legitimate national security concerns.
As of now, Bolton has not been arrested or charged. Still, the discovery that a hostile intelligence service was able to access his private emails has escalated the matter dramatically. The investigation continues to unfold, with potentially far-reaching consequences for one of Trump’s most notorious former advisers.
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