‘Saw it on television’: Trump says he wasn’t briefed on FBI raid of John Bolton’s home

Hours after the FBI raided the home of John Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor during Donald Trump’s first term, the US president claimed on Friday that he had not been briefed about the operation in advance.

Trump, asked about the early morning FBI search of Bolton’s home, said he was “not a fan” of his former aide but did not know about the raid ahead of time.

“I saw it on television this morning,” The Guardian quoted Trump as saying during a visit to the Kennedy Center in Washington.

“I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s a real sort of a lowlife,”

“He’s not a smart guy. But he could be very unpatriotic. I’m going to find out,” he added.

Trump added that he expects to be briefed on the matter by the Justice Department soon.

“I tell the group I don’t want to know, but just — you have to do what you have to do. I don’t want to know about it,” he said.

The Justice Department has not yet commented publicly on the reported search or its purpose. Bolton has not issued a statement as of publication.

The FBI raided former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s home and office Friday as part of a renewed investigation into whether he disclosed classified information in his 2020 memoir, according to a CNN report, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Bolton, a longtime critic of President Trump after being fired in 2019, said he was unaware of the search. Trump, who previously threatened to jail Bolton over the book, is facing criticism for allegedly using federal agencies to target political opponents.

The Justice Department had previously closed the case under President Biden, but officials have now reopened it, reportedly also looking into other potential leaks.

With inputs from agencies