FBI: John Bolton’s DC office had classified documents
The FBI stated that they recovered documents marked as classified during their raid of John Bolton’s Washington D.C. office. The FBI obtained documents referencing weapons of mass destruction, strategic communications, the U.S. mission to the United Nations, and other topics. Bolton’s office had folders marked “secret” and “confidential.” Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, was also searched that day but the FBI said that they did not recover classified materials from the residence.
From Politico:
Categories of potentially classified records that the FBI reported finding at Bolton’s office included: travel memo documents with a “secret” label; confidential documents from the U.S. mission to the U.N.; confidential documents related to strategic communications; and classified documents related to weapons of mass destruction.
“Secret” is the middle of three major tiers of U.S. national security classification, intended to cover information expected to cause serious damage if disclosed. “Confidential” is the lowest tier, covering information that could cause some damage to national security if released. “Confidential” is often used for routine diplomatic communications.
The material gathered in the search underscores the potential criminal exposure for Bolton. The federal government has brought prosecutions in the past for those who knowingly retain classified information outside of secure or approved channels.
An attorney for Bolton, Abbe Lowell, said the records were cleared for Bolton’s use years ago and many of them were more than two decades old.
“These materials, many of which are documents that had been previously approved as part of a pre-publication review for Amb. Bolton’s book, were reviewed and closed years ago,” Lowell said in a statement.
“These are the kinds of ordinary records, many of which are 20 years old or more, that would be kept by a 40-year career official who served at the State Department, as an Assistant Attorney General, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and the National Security Advisor. Specifically, the documents with classification markings from the period 1998-2006 date back to Amb. Bolton’s time in the George W. Bush Administration,” Lowell added. “An objective and thorough review will show nothing inappropriate was stored or kept by Amb. Bolton.”
Additional Reading:
Gerstein, J. & Cheney, K. (2025, September 24). FBI says it found classified documents in John Bolton’s DC office. Politico. Link.
Category: Government Incompetence
If he was keeping these records in his office, he should have no trouble producing the long form to prove he asked for and received permission to have these records in his possession. There has to be a paper trail somewhere John, produce that and all this goes away. Eventually. We are talking about the government after all.
I wonder what his lawer/lawers are planning to spend his money on.
Certainly he has a government spec vault at his home and has the records showing where the items were inspected monthly.
Only an idiot would throw them in a box in the garage or office at a college that is not used 95% of the time.
What’s not used?
The office? Or the college?
C’mon man, there was a Corvette parked in the, you know, the thing! That makes it a SCIF!
That will bump the value of the corvette by a lot, as it proves the theft protection device installed by the dreaded previous owner actually worked.
DUDE, that’s like having TS/SCI Info put on an unsecured server in an unsecured location, nobody would do that, right? *OOP!*, never mind!
Nobody looks in the pantry.
And she’d have gotten away with it too, if it hadn’t been for those… oh, yeah. She did get away with it.
The Stash was Dashed with Trumped up charges echo’s the Lip.
I do not have first hand knowledge, but it seems to me that the burning feces in Iraq smelled better than the (D)emon-rats are smelling now.
You would be correct. And that vat of poop flambe’ is being stirred.
I’d like to know the details.
Some SECRET and CONFIDENTIAL documents are automatically downgraded or declassified after the passage of time or the occurrence of an event.
I’m working on 73 year old memory cells here, but I seem to recall that our Unit Status Report (our periodic report as to readiness for combat) were generally classified CONFIDENTIAL for lower level units, SECRET for brigade and above, but were automatically downgraded and eventually declassified after years had passed and the information would have become stale.
Travel documents for deploying units (like my short trip to Somalia in 1984); travel plans itineraries for VIP’s were originally classified at least SECRET, but would become declassified once the travel was complete.
I’m doubtful the DOJ has the stomach to charge and prosecute him.
Bondi doesn’t have the stomach. FIFY
I was wrong for the, let’s see, 1st, 2nd, 10th(?) time this week?
https://x.com/nicksortor/status/1971345364352630955?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1971345364352630955%7Ctwgr%5Ef3759c98c4ed377a219e50cdf02429d3709e36e2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Face.mu.nu%2F
Et tu James?
Nay, thou has reaped the whirlwind. Thy faithless acts of sedition and baseless falsehoods thou purveyed to empower thyself have slain thee. Thyself shall see the act; For, as thou urgest justice, be assured Thou shalt have justice, more than thou desir’st. This even-handed justice, commends the ingredients of your poisoned chalice to your own lips.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/former-fbi-director-james-comey-indicted-days-after/story?id=125935658
All that remains now is to serve Hillary Clinton some Chelsea Pie at a banquet in her honor.
Make it chocolate pie, from the movie “The Help”. That would be more fitting.