On Friday morning, FBI Director Kash Patel issued a cryptic message amidst reports of federal agents searching the home of John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Trump.
Patel tweeted, “No one is beyond the law… Agents on @fbi Mission,” shortly after 7 a.m., not naming anyone specifically.
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino echoed Patel’s sentiments in separate posts, emphasizing that “Public corruption is not tolerated.”
Vice President Vance also shared Patel’s tweet, further amplifying the message.
The FBI has declined to elaborate on the meaning behind Patel’s post.
A source familiar with the situation confirmed to News Nation, a sister network, that agents indeed conducted a search at Bolton’s Bethesda home, located near Washington, D.C., on Friday morning.
This search is reportedly connected to classified information, according to sources speaking to various media outlets.
Bolton, who was a member of Trump’s first administration, has often criticized the former president’s foreign policy, particularly regarding the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. In a separate post on Friday, he expressed skepticism about progress in negotiations to end the war.
The relationship between Trump and Bolton has been fraught, especially since Trump returned to office in January, where there were complications around security clearances for Bolton and a decision to withdraw security details despite potential threats related to Bolton’s hawkish stance against Iran.
Patel’s earlier tweet received criticism, with former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe stating that this behavior is out of character for an FBI director. McCabe, now an analyst at CNN, remarked that FBI directors typically don’t comment on search warrants or their targets.
David Urban, a former senior adviser to the Trump campaign, commented that the FBI’s actions appear to have “a really bad look,” suggesting the timing may feel political, especially given Bolton’s criticisms of Trump.
