FBI Links Bolton AOL Hack to Classified Records Probe
Federal investigators searched the Maryland home of John Bolton, the former national security adviser, after learning about a past hack of his AOL email account. A newly released affidavit shows that a foreign adversary once broke into Bolton’s email, raising fears that sensitive information might have been exposed.
Bolton served as national security adviser during the administration of Donald Trump. He is also known as a longtime foreign policy specialist. The search of his home last month was based partly on intelligence that linked the old hack to concerns about classified records.
The affidavit explains that a section labeled “Hack of Bolton AOL Account by Foreign Entity” was a major reason for the search. The full details of the hack are blacked out in the document, but officials said the emails had signs of being intercepted.
Reporters were told by sources that the CIA saw hallmarks of China, Russia, or Iran in the hack. They considered Iran the most likely suspect. The CIA had collected intelligence on the hack overseas years earlier and later shared it with federal investigators.
The FBI believed that the intercepted emails raised concerns that Bolton may have mishandled national defense information after leaving the White House in 2019. A review of the White House computer systems during that period also triggered red flags about Bolton’s communications.
Records, Book Dispute, and Search Details
The affidavit also describes Bolton’s interactions with Ellen Knight, a government records specialist. Knight was responsible for reviewing Bolton’s book manuscript in 2020 before publication. According to the affidavit, she told Bolton to make changes to remove sections that contained classified details. Notes from their February 2020 meeting showed that Bolton appeared to agree that certain passages had to be altered.
Even after revisions, the Trump administration argued that Bolton’s book should not be published. Officials claimed it still contained sensitive details and that Bolton had not received full clearance. Despite the opposition, the book was released in the summer of 2020 after a legal battle. A judge refused to block sales, but the new affidavit provides more detail on Knight’s direct exchanges with Bolton during the review.
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During the FBI’s August search, agents seized documents, phones, computers, and hard drives from Bolton’s Maryland home. Some of the seized files were connected to military “allied strikes.” Agents also searched Bolton’s downtown Washington, D.C. office. Several media outlets have since filed legal motions asking the court to release the records from those searches.
Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, strongly defended his client. He said that investigators found nothing improper in the search. Lowell explained that the materials seized were ordinary records from Bolton’s decades of service, including time as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, assistant attorney general, and national security adviser. He added that the documents included items already cleared during the book’s pre-publication review.
Public Comments and Legal Battles
The affidavit also highlights Bolton’s past public remarks. Investigators noted that Bolton had often criticized other politicians, such as Hillary Clinton, for their handling of classified information. He made comments on television and in interviews stressing the importance of protecting sensitive material. The FBI said these remarks showed that Bolton was fully aware of the rules around classified records.
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The intelligence collected about the AOL hack was provided to the FBI under the direction of then-CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who granted limited access to FBI Director Kash Patel. This intelligence became a central part of the case and gave investigators grounds to request a search warrant.
So far, Bolton has not been charged with any crime. But the newly unsealed documents explain why federal investigators believed there was reason to search his home and office. They also show how an old foreign hack of his AOL account has become linked to one of the most significant searches involving a former senior U.S. official.
