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Vice President JD Vance on Friday denied that the FBI discovered the house of former US National Security Advisor John Bolton as a political vengeance.
Vance made statements in an NBC “Meet the press” interviewA few hours after Bolton’s Maryland’s house was raided. Vance said the FBI’s move was part of an “ongoing investigation” in Bolton and was not based on any political struggle between him and the Trump administration.
Asked by NBC host Christon Velkar, whether the discovery was inspired by President Donald Trump’s criticism of Bolton, Vance replied, “No, not at all.”
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Vice President JD Vance denied any political purpose for a Friday FBI raid at John Bolton’s house. (Bloomberg/Getty: Logan Cyrus/Getty)
“And in fact, if we were trying to do so, we would simply throw the prosecution willy-nili, such as the Biden administration DOJ. The prosecution that was later thrown into the court. If we bring a case, and of course, we haven’t done so yet,” he said.
Fox News Digital also saw agents in Bolton’s Washington, DC, Office Removing Box, and Bolton was seen in the building lobby.
Vance told Velker that the classified documents were part of the raid, but noted that there was widespread concern about Bolton, who served as a National Security Advisor during Trump’s first term. He has become a staunch critic of the President since then.
“I will let the FBI talk to him,” said Vance. “Classified documents are certainly part of it, but I think there is a widespread concern about ambassador Bolton. They are going to look into it. And as I said, if there is no crime here, we are not going to prosecute it. If there is a crime here, surely, the ambassador Bolton will get his day in court.”
He said, “How to happen. But again, our focus is here, did they break the law? Have they committed crimes against the American people? If so, he deserves to prosecute.”
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On August 22, 2025, FBI agents are seen loading in a vehicle after the discovery of former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s DC office. (Fox News Digital)
Trump told reporters that he raided television on Friday morning and did not know the details about the investigation.
According to a senior American official, the investigation to deal with Bolton’s classified documents was initiated first years ago, but was later closed “for political reasons” by the Biden administration.
Under the first administration of Trump, the Department of Justice argued that Bolton’s 2020 memoirs were classified in “The Room Whhen It Hand,” and its publication was sought to block. A federal judge finally allowed the book to be published.
Once Biden took over, his justice department ended the legal battle at the time, leaving both a criminal investigation and a civil case against Bolton on the memoir.
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John Bolton’s house was raided by federal agents on Friday. (Str/Nurphoto Getty images)
Since being fired by Trump during his first term, Bolton has often spoken against the President.
He slammed the handling of classified documents of Trump, causing an FBI raid at the former President’s Mar-e-Lago house in 2022 and later a federal prosecution, but insisted that the legal process should be played. Bolton has also said that Trump has the ability to be President and a lack of character.
Trump has not spoken to Bolton with his time together. He has often criticized Bolton for advancing American participation in wars in the Middle East.
Michael Doorgan of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
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