Judge releases redacted document used to justify search of John Bolton's home

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A judge on Friday released a heavily redacted document used to justify a recent search of the home of John Bolton, who was national security adviser during the first Trump administration, saying that revealing more could harm a criminal investigation.

The FBI's search warrant affidavit said there was probable cause to believe classified information and national defense information were being illegally kept at Bolton's Maryland home. Bolton has not been charged with a crime.

A coalition of news organizations had urged a judge in Maryland to unseal records related to the Aug. 22 search, citing a “tremendous public interest” that outweighed the need for continued secrecy. U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Sullivan, however, said limits were necessary.

“The investigation involves matters of national security and highly classified materials to which the public has no right of access,” Sullivan said.

More than a dozen pages in the affidavit have partial or full redactions. The FBI seized phones, computer equipment and typed documents.

Bolton served for 17 months as national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term, clashing with him over Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea before being fired in 2019. He has subsequently criticized Trump’s approach to foreign policy and government, including in a 2020 book, “The Room Where it Happened,” that portrayed the president as ill-informed.

The search warrant affidavit says a National Security Council official had reviewed the book manuscript and told Bolton in 2020 that it appeared to contain “significant amounts” of classified information, some at top secret level.

When Bolton left government, “he stated that he did not have any notes or other records from his government service,” Ellen Knight, senior director for NSC records, told Bolton's lawyer in another letter, according to the FBI affidavit.

There's a line elsewhere in the affidavit titled, “Hack of Bolton AOL Account by Foreign Entity," followed by multiple pages of redactions and no other details.

Bolton's attorney, Abbe Lowell, has said Bolton had ordinary records reflecting a 40-year career in government and said the Justice Department was “under pressure to satisfy a president out for political revenge.”