The FBI has arrested a former Army employee accused of leaking classified information to a journalist.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Wednesday that Courtney Williams, 40, a former employee at Fort Bragg who previously held top security clearance, has been charged with transmitting classified national defense information. 
“FBI and our partners have arrested a former [Special Operations Command] employee, who supported our top-level military warfighters, for allegedly transmitting classified information to a member of the media. Outstanding work by [FBI Charlotte] and the FBI Counterintelligence &amp; Espionage Division &#8211; as well as our [Justice Department] partners,” Patel said. 
“Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests. This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way,” he added. 
In a subsequent <a href="https://x.com/fbidirectorkash/status/2042199396738080809?s=46">post</a>, Patel suggested that more arrests over leaks were “coming.” The arrest follows statements by President Donald Trump threatening jail time for reporters who decline to identify sources in connection with a leak about a downed American aircraft. 
Williams held top security clearance from 2010 to 2016. Authorities say that from 2022 to 2025, she communicated with an investigative journalist through more than 10 hours of phone calls and 180 text messages. She allegedly shared “tactics, techniques and procedures” related to a special operations force. 
While not named in court documents, the journalist appears to be Seth Harp, the author of “The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces.” An excerpt from the book appeared in POLITICO under the headline, “My Life Became a Living Hell: One Woman’s Career in Delta Force, the Army’s Most Elite Unit,” and focused on Williams&#8217; experience in Delta Force. 
In a post on X, Harp <a href="https://x.com/sethharpesq/status/2042037022336934195?s=20">claimed</a> that Williams had done nothing criminal. 
“Trump&#8217;s unhinged DOJ will not even say what ‘classified information’ she allegedly leaked,” he said. “Her arrest and imprisonment is an outrage.”
Harp <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/former-fort-bragg-employee-charged-leaking-classified-military-information-journalist">told</a> WRAL-TV that &#8220;the government is going after Courtney for the sole reason that she exposed sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the unit,&#8221; adding, &#8220;This is a vindictive act of retaliation.&#8221;
Text messages cited in court documents suggest Williams was aware of potential legal risk following the publication of Harp’s book. In one message, she allegedly expressed concern about “the amount of classified information being disclosed,” and in a separate message wrote, “I might actually get arrested . . . for disclosing classified information.” 
Another message attributed to Williams said that she knew she was “probably going to jail for life.”
Court documents show that Williams will be appointed counsel from the Eastern District of North Carolina Federal Public Defender’s Office. An attorney has not yet been publicly identified.

FBI Director Patel And Eastern District U.S. Attorney Nocella Holds News Conference On Major Illegal Sports Gambling Schemes

Department Of War Leaker Nabbed In Journalist Tip Case As Kash Patel Signals Next Move

Army

classified documents

kash patel

U.S. Military

Retired U.S. Air Force Major General William Neil McCasland, 68, went missing on February 27 — and the search has intensified amid reports linking McCasland to highly-sensitive space weapons programs and rumors about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP).
McCasland was <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/retired-air-force-major-general-missing-new-mexico-william-neil-mccasland/">last seen</a> near his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, around 11 a.m. local time — and according to officials, he left his phone behind and has not been in contact with any friends or family members in the nearly two weeks since he disappeared.
The retired astronautical engineer held degrees from the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University — and while serving in the Air Force, held a number of posts that gave him access to highly-sensitive information.
McCasland, as CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/11/us/retired-air-force-general-fbi-search">reported</a>, served for a time at the Pentagon overseeing several programs related to space weaponry. He was the chief engineer on the Global Positioning System program within the Department of Defense, and served as program director for the Space Based Laser Project Office as well.
He also served for a time as commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, which has long been rumored to be the &#8220;storage&#8221; facility where UFO debris from Roswell, New Mexico, was held. The Air Force has consistently denied that is the case, but Wright-Patterson was also home to Project <a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104590/unidentified-flying-objects-and-air-force-project-blue-book/">Blue Book</a> — the military program that studied 12,618 reported UFO sightings between 1952 and 1969.
After his retirement, McCasland worked with Blink-182 musician Tom DeLonge as a consultant regarding UAP for DeLonge&#8217;s company, To The Stars, Inc.
McCasland&#8217;s wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/susanmccasland.wilkerson/posts/26567647242840474?ref=embed_post">posted</a> on Facebook after he disappeared, saying that she did not believe he knew anything that would have made him a target for abduction.
&#8220;It is true that Neil had a brief association with the UFO community. This connection is not a reason for someone to abduct Neil. Neil does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt,&#8221; she said.
Luis Elizondo, a former Department of Defense intelligence officer, added, &#8220;I hope and pray this is not one of those cases where a former senior military officer was specifically targeted and that he will be found happy and healthy in the immediate near term for his sake and the sake of his loved ones.&#8221;
Elizondo said that the best thing for everyone would be to wait for law enforcement officers to do their jobs.
Authorities have interviewed hundreds who live in the vicinity and have asked neighbors to provide footage from security cameras in an effort to determine which direction McCasland went when he left home, apparently on foot. They have also issued a Silver Alert on him, in part because the retired service member reportedly also has a medical condition that was not specified.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico has requested help from the public in locating McCasland, noting that he is an &#8220;avid outdoorsman&#8221; who routinely runs and hikes in the surrounding neighborhoods and in the foothills of the nearby Sandia Mountains.
&#8220;Due to his background and established partnerships, BCSO is coordinating closely with multiple agencies,&#8221; the sheriff&#8217;s office said in a statement, noting that the FBI and McCasland&#8217;s previous Air Force duty stations were among those agencies.

Welcome to Roswell

Missing Air Force General Linked To UAPs, Space Weapons Programs At Pentagon

Aerospace

Military

Military Weapons

U.S.

weapons

A federal judge slapped down former special counsel Jack Smith from releasing a report on President Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office in January 2021. 
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, wrote in a Monday <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.648654/gov.uscourts.flsd.648654.779.0.pdf">ruling</a> that releasing the report would violate principles of fairness and justice. She said Smith undertook a “brazen” strategy by compiling the document even after she dismissed the classified document charges against Trump. 
Cannon wrote that releasing the report “would cause irreparable damage to former defendants from disclosure of non-public discovery material implicating still-contested grand jury and privilege concerns; and it would contravene basic notions of fairness and justice in the process, where no adjudication of guilt has been reached following initiation of criminal charges.”
Cannon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-dismisses-trump-classified-documents-case">dismissed </a>the charges against Trump in July 2024, ruling that Smith’s appointment violated the Constitution&#8217;s Appointments Clause and that his office was not properly authorized. 
Despite her dismissal order, Cannon noted that Smith continued investigating Trump and compiling a report that was intended for release to congressional lawmakers.
Cannon wrote that, instead of seeking a stay or clarification of her order, Smith and his team “chose to circumvent it, for months, by taking the discovery generated in this case and compiling it in a final report for transmission to then-Attorney General Garland, to Congress, and then beyond.” 
“The Court need not countenance this brazen stratagem or effectively perpetuate the Special Counsel’s breach of this Court’s own order,” she added.
Cannon said releasing the report would deny Trump and his co-defendants a meaningful opportunity to respond to the allegations. Smith, however, has <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/trump-appointee-aileen-cannon-blocks-release-jack-smiths-report-classi-rcna260237">claimed</a> that he obtained “powerful evidence that showed Trump willfully retained highly classified documents” after leaving office in January 2021. 
Cannon wrote that the court &#8220;strains to find a situation in which a former special counsel has released a report after initiating criminal charges that did not result in a finding of guilt,&#8221; particularly where &#8220;the defendants contested the charges from the outset and still proclaim their innocence.&#8221;
Last month, Smith faced questions from lawmakers about his investigations into Trump. He also brought charges against Trump related to the January 6 Capitol riot, which were later dismissed after Trump&#8217;s election and before he returned to office in January 2025.

Former US Special Counsel Jack Smith Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee

Judge Rips Jack Smith’s ‘Brazen’ Attempt To Release Report On Trump Docs

Courts

Donald Trump

Executive

federal judge

Jack Smith

Politics

President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that former President Barack Obama had shared &#8220;classified information&#8221; when he stated on a recent podcast that aliens &#8220;are real.&#8221;
Trump was speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One when Fox News White House Correspondent Peter Doocy raised the topic, saying, &#8220;Barack Obama said aliens are real. Have you seen any evidence of non-human visitors to Earth?&#8221;
&#8220;He gave classified information, he’s not supposed to be doing that,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/pdoocy/status/2024571710754717784">Trump replied</a>. When asked whether that meant that aliens were, in fact, real, Trump demurred and said he wasn&#8217;t certain whether &#8220;they’re real or not.&#8221;
&#8220;I can tell you he gave classified information, he’s not supposed to be doing that,&#8221; Trump continued. “He made a big mistake. He took it out of classified information.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨President Trump says he may declassify the alien files, Obama revealed classified information
Doocy: “Barack Obama said aliens are real. Have you seen any evidence of non-human visitors to Earth?”
Trump: “He gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that.”… <a href="https://t.co/9DbffHyVn2">pic.twitter.com/9DbffHyVn2</a>
— UAP James (@UAPJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/UAPJames/status/2024578237054275652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On the topic of extraterrestrial life, Trump was ambivalent: &#8220;No, I don&#8217;t have an opinion on it. I never talk about it. A lot of people do. A lot of people believe it.&#8221;
&#8220;Do you believe it, Peter?&#8221; Trump turned the question back to Doocy, who took a different tack.
&#8220;The president can declassify anything he wants to,&#8221; Doocy prompted.
&#8220;Maybe I’ll get him out of trouble,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;I may get him out of trouble by declassifying.&#8221;
Obama made the comments in question during a recent appearance on the left-leaning “No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen” podcast — and in addition to confirming the existence of extraterrestrial life, Obama revealed that to his knowledge, there were no aliens being kept in underground bunkers at Area 51. He also admitted that he had not personally seen any aliens.
“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,” the former president told Cohen. “They&#8217;re not being kept in &#8230; Area 51. There&#8217;s no underground facility unless there&#8217;s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the President of the United States.”
Obama&#8217;s comments sparked enough conversation across social media that he took to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUy9E_UD9RR/">Instagram</a> to clarify his remarks later.
“I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention let me clarify,&#8221; Obama posted, going on to claim that he wasn&#8217;t really confirming the existence of alien life so much as he was saying he believed it was out there.
&#8220;Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Swipes At Obama Over Alien Revelations: ‘He Gave Classified Information’

Aliens

Barack Obama

Extraterrestrial Life

Media

The FBI executed a search warrant at a Washington Post reporter&#8217;s Virginia home on Wednesday morning as the feds investigate a government contractor who&#8217;s accused of leaking classified government materials.
Reporter Hannah Natanson, who focuses on &#8220;covering the Trump administration&#8217;s reshaping of the government,&#8221; was at home when FBI agents showed up at her front door and proceeded to search her house and seize two laptops, a phone, and a Garmin watch, the Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/14/washington-post-reporter-search/">reported</a>. Investigators reportedly told Natanson that she is not the target of the investigation. According to the Post, the FBI is looking into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a government contractor with top-secret security clearance.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Natanson was reporting on classified information that was &#8220;illegally leaked&#8221; by a &#8220;Pentagon contractor.&#8221; Bondi added that the accused leaker, whom she did not publicly identify, is in jail.
&#8220;This past week, at the request of the Department of War, the Department of Justice and FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a Washington Post journalist who was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor,&#8221; Bondi said. &#8220;The leaker is currently behind bars. I am proud to work alongside Secretary Hegseth on this effort. The Trump Administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national security and the brave men and women who are serving our country.&#8221;
Perez-Lugones is a system administrator in Maryland who allegedly took classified intelligence reports to his home. The reports were found in his lunchbox and basement, according to the FBI.
Natanson, who was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize and describes herself as &#8220;the federal government whisperer,&#8221; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/12/24/trump-federal-government-workers/">wrote</a> in an article published last month that she connected with more than 1,000 sources within the Trump administration after posting her phone number to an online forum for federal government employees. She said federal workers who reached out to her often expressed frustration with the administration.
U.S. law protects journalists who publish classified information, provided they obtained it without coercion and did not ask anyone to break the law. Some of Natanson&#8217;s colleagues took to social media to defend her after news broke of the FBI search.
Last year, Bondi ended a policy implemented under former President Joe Biden that prohibited federal agencies from searching reporters&#8217; devices to identify a leaker. Bondi said that under her leadership, federal authorities would search reporters&#8217; devices and records only when necessary and after all other investigative avenues had been exhausted.

FBI/Washington Post

FBI Searches Washington Post Reporter’s Home In Classified Docs Probe, Leaker ‘Behind Bars’

journalist

Pam Bondi

Washington Post

FBI agents worried that they did not have probable cause for the raid on President Donald Trump&#8217;s Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago, but went ahead with it anyway under pressure from then-President Joe Biden&#8217;s Justice Department.
A <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fbi-doubted-probable-cause-mar-a-lago-raid-pushed-forward-amid-pressure-from-biden-doj-emails-reveal">report</a> published Tuesday by Fox News Digital detailed a number of emails between the FBI and the DOJ regarding concerns that Trump had taken classified documents to his Florida home — and how to best resolve the situation — and the DOJ ignored the FBI agents assigned to the case who repeatedly suggested alternatives to an outright raid of the property.
&#8220;Very little has been developed related to who might be culpable for mishandling the documents,&#8221; one FBI official — identified as an assistant special agent in charge — wrote to Anthony Riedlinger, another FBI official. &#8220;From the interviews, [Washington Field Office] has gathered information suggesting that there may be additional boxes (presumably of the same type as were sent back to NARA in January) at Mar-a-Lago.&#8221;
The official added that while they were in the process of drafting a search warrant, there were &#8220;some concerns that the information is single source, has not been corroborated, and may be dated.&#8221;
&#8220;DOJ CES opines, however, that the SW’s meet the probable cause standard,&#8221; the official said, but went on to note that the WFO still had reservations and had suggested instead that they have a conversation with Trump&#8217;s attorneys, informing them that the FBI was moving on a search warrant in the hopes of encouraging cooperation rather than confrontation.
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&#8220;At a minimum, even if the former president’s attorney is correct and the documents were all declassified (or believed to be declassified), it can be reasonably argued that the documents remain sensitive and should be properly secured until the matter of classification is sorted out,&#8221; the official added, noting that they could still move forward with the search warrant process at the same time.
Weeks passed and then another email from an unnamed FBI agent stated, &#8220;We haven’t generated any new facts, but keep being given draft after draft after draft.&#8221;
The agent made it clear that the case was viewed as a nonstarter and an overall waste of time: &#8220;Absent a witness coming forward with recent information about classified on site, at what point is it fair to table this? It is time consuming for the team, and not productive if there are no new facts supporting PC (probable cause)?&#8221;
Yet another email stated that officials within the WFO did &#8220;not believe (and has articulated to DOJ CES), that we have established probable cause for the search warrant for classified records at Mar a Lago.&#8221;
Additionally, FBI officials asserted that plans for a raid should be set aside in favor of &#8220;alternative, less intrusive and likelier quicker options for resolution.&#8221;
&#8220;The FBI intends for the execution of the warrant to be handled in a professional, low key manner, and to be mindful of the optics of the search,&#8221; another agent wrote, noting that Deputy Assistant Attorney General George Toscas had said he &#8220;frankly doesn’t give a damn about the optics.&#8221;
&#8220;I understand that this request may not go well at DOJ, however, it is the FBI serving and executing the search and it will be our personnel who will have to deal with the reaction to that first contact,&#8221; the agent added.
The raid went ahead on August 8, 2022.
FBI Director Kash Patel <a href="https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2000999942303998185">confirmed</a> the report in an X post on Tuesday, saying, &#8220;It’s true &#8211; we just turned over documents to Capitol Hill to be made public showing the FBI told DOJ they did not have probable cause for raiding President Trump’s home in Mar A Lago but DOJ “didn’t give a damn” and did it anyway.&#8221;

The FBI Executes A Search Warrant At Former President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Estate

FBI Agents Worried There Was No Cause To Raid Mar-a-Lago; Biden DOJ Made Them Do It Anyway

Department of Justice

Joe Biden

Mar-a-Lago

War Secretary Pete Hegseth likely violated Pentagon regulations when he shared details about an attack on Houthi terrorists in Yemen, the Defense Department Inspector General said in a report provided to members of Congress on Tuesday evening.
The report, as <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pentagons-signalgate-review-finds-hegseth-violated-defense-department-regulations-d75b9c0a?st=BPaFpG">The Wall Street Journal</a> noted, also stated that Hegseth, as the War Secretary, can declassify any War Department information he chooses — meaning that although regulation states that Hegseth should not have shared sensitive information via the messaging app, Signal, his actions may not rise to the level of a violation of law.
The Inspector General&#8217;s review began in April after the contents of the Signal chat in question were made public by The Atlantic&#8217;s Jeffrey Goldberg, who was accidentally added to the group when his contact information was imported through a phone belonging to United Nations Ambassador <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/so-damn-dangerous-signal-chat-breach-linked-to-automated-suggestion-feature-on-iphone">Mike Waltz</a>, who, at the time, was serving as President Donald Trump&#8217;s National Security Adviser.
According to the report, Hegseth received classified information — from a classified message labeled SECRET/NOFORN — about the planned attack on Houthi terrorists from Gen. Erik Kurilla, the CentCom (U.S. Central Command) commander. He then sent some of that information, albeit without the classified designation, via the Signal chat.
Hegseth has explained that he made a command decision to share that information in the moment with the group in question. The Inspector General confirmed that Hegseth has the authority to declassify War Department information. Any further inquiry may end there.
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Several members of Congress who have already read the report have gone public with their reactions — including Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/war-department-reviewing-serious-allegations-against-sen-mark-kelly-after-dem-military-message">Mark Kelly</a> (D-AZ), who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mark-kelly-encourages-active-military-to-question-orders-in-real-time">made headlines</a> in recent weeks when he took part in a video that encouraged members of the United States military to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senator-doubles-down-on-insurrection-video-threatens-military-over-plan-to-go-after-kelly">question orders</a> in real time, insinuating that President Trump or War Secretary Hegseth either had or would give unlawful orders.
&#8220;They very clearly stated he should not be using his cellphone and putting … this kind of information on an unclassified system,&#8221; Kelly said.
Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) pushed back, noting that Democrats had been gunning for Hegseth since before his confirmation hearings and weren&#8217;t likely to stop any time soon.
&#8220;The arc of the story is that it’s just a never ending stream of efforts to undermine Pete Hegseth, right? The whole controversy. So they didn’t get him in the confirmation process? Make a big deal out of this,&#8221; he said, referring to the report as a &#8220;nothing burger before adding, &#8220;So it’s just an ongoing effort. I wouldn’t expect it to end with this, but I think again, the President has faith in Secretary Hegseth. I think he’s doing a great job, and it is what it is.&#8221;
The unclassified full report, which was delayed in part due to the recent government shutdown, is set to be released to the public on Thursday.

President Trump Holds Cabinet Meeting At The White House

Watchdog Group’s Report On SignalGate Delivers Mixed Review On Hegseth’s Actions

Pete Hegseth

Signal

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton surrendered to authorities on Friday morning for his arraignment and pleaded not guilty to the 18 federal charges he faces related to his handling of classified documents.
Bolton made his first court appearance in Greenbelt, Maryland, before Judge Timothy Sullivan. After pleading not guilty, Bolton is set to be released and is not required to post bail. He is due back in court on November 21, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/john-bolton-indictment-10-17-25?t=1760714486711">reported</a>. Bolton is allowed to travel domestically, but he will be required to hand over his passport and travel documents to his lawyer. If he wants to travel internationally, he will have to seek approval from the court.
While Judge Sullivan oversaw Bolton&#8217;s federal arraignment on Friday, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang — an Obama appointee — has been assigned the case going forward, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/john-bolton-indictment-10-17-25?t=1760714486711'">reported</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
John Bolton surrenders himself in federal court.
What a great day for America. <a href="https://t.co/jDtztl7wT6">pic.twitter.com/jDtztl7wT6</a>
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) <a href="https://twitter.com/_johnnymaga/status/1979171206239592839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Bolton, who advised President Donald Trump during his first term, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-bolton-indicted-after-classified-documents-probe-report?author=Tim+Pearce&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=John+Bolton+Indicted+After+Classified+Documents+Probe%3A+Report">indicted</a> by a grand jury on Thursday and is accused of sending classified information to unauthorized recipients through his personal email, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/16/john-bolton-indicted-criminal-charges-classified-documents-00612387">violating</a> provisions in the Espionage Act. In August, the FBI raided the former national security adviser&#8217;s home in Maryland, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/court-records-reveal-what-was-taken-from-john-boltons-home-during-fbi-raid?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Court+Records+Reveal+What+Was+Taken+From+John+Bolton%E2%80%99s+Home+During+FBI+Raid">taking</a> troves of documents, three computers, and two iPhones amid the Justice Department&#8217;s investigation into his handling of classified material.
President Trump <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1978923040785256497">said</a> on Thursday that he was not aware that Bolton had been indicted, but added, &#8220;I think he&#8217;s a bad person.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s too bad, but that&#8217;s the way it goes,&#8221; Trump told reporters.
In a statement on Thursday, Bolton said that he was being targeted in a political prosecution.
“For four decades, I have devoted my life to America’s foreign policy and national security. I would never compromise those goals. I tried to do that during my tenure in the first Trump administration but resigned when it became impossible to do so,” said Bolton.
“Now, I have become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts,” he added.
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In 2023, Trump was also charged with crimes related to his handling of classified documents after leaving office. That case was dismissed a year later after Trump-nominated District Court Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith violated the Constitution.
Bolton is accused of sending &#8220;diary-like entries&#8221; to two people &#8220;that contained information classified&#8221; as &#8220;TOP SECRET.&#8221; The two people to whom Bolton allegedly sent the classified information were his wife and daughter, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/john-bolton-indictment-10-16-25">reported</a>.
&#8220;BOLTON wrote many of these diary-like entries by transcribing his handwritten notes from his day&#8217;s activities into word processing documents, which he then electronically sent to Individuals 1 and 2 through a commercial non-governmental messaging application,&#8221; the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.592875/gov.uscourts.mdd.592875.1.0_3.pdf">indictment</a> reads.
&#8220;On other occasions, BOLTON used his personal non-governmental email accounts, such as email accounts hosted by AOL and Google, to email information classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level to Individuals 1 and/or 2 at their personal email accounts,&#8221; the indictment adds. &#8220;At no point did BOLTON have authorization to store or transmit the classified information that he sent to Individuals 1 and 2 via his personal electronic devices and accounts. Nor did, at any time, Individuals 1 or 2 have authorization to know or store the classified information that BOLTON gave to them.&#8221;
The investigation into Bolton&#8217;s handling of classified documents gained momentum under the Biden administration and continued after President Trump took office for a second time in January, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10/16/us/trump-shutdown-news#:~:text=SKIP%20ADVERTISEMENT-,Former%20Trump%20Aide%20John%20Bolton%20Is%20Indicted%20Over%20Handling%20of,2025%2C%207:41%20a.m.%20ET">reported</a>.
After serving under Trump from 2018 to 2019, Bolton became a harsh critic of the president and authored a book on his experience less than a year after Trump said he fired Bolton as National Security Adviser. Trump said that he terminated Bolton, but Bolton has insisted that he resigned from his position.
The book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” was promoted as “the most comprehensive and substantial account of the Trump Administration.” The Trump administration argued that Bolton’s book endangered national security. After a back-and-forth, Bolton removed classified information from his book manuscript before he published it, according to court records.

John Bolton

Bolton Turns Himself In, Pleads Not Guilty In Espionage Case Over Classified Documents

Court

Trump Administration

ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl conceded that he did not know what evidence the FBI might have had prior to executing a raid on the home and office of John Bolton, who had previously served as President Donald Trump&#8217;s National Security Adviser — but then proceeded to paint the law enforcement action as an act of &#8220;retribution&#8221; on Trump&#8217;s part.
&#8220;We don’t know what evidence the DOJ has against John Bolton. But we do know that he is the latest Trump critic to be targeted by his administration,&#8221; Karl said of Friday&#8217;s events.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;We don’t know what evidence the DOJ has against John Bolton. But we do know that he is the latest Trump critic to be targeted by his administration.” <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonKarl</a> reports on President Trump&#8217;s promised &#8220;retribution&#8221; against political enemies. <a href="https://t.co/x5qomsiCQa">https://t.co/x5qomsiCQa</a> <a href="https://t.co/JWICYLBK0i">pic.twitter.com/JWICYLBK0i</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1959627849846947864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;In a minute, we&#8217;ll get to the stunning developments coming into the weekend with FBI agents swarming around the home and office of former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton, but first the context,&#8221; Karl said. &#8220;This didn&#8217;t happen in a vacuum.&#8221;
&#8220;John Bolton is on a long list of Trump critics who are not facing the wrath of President Trump and his Justice Department,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Trump himself has suggested that dozens of his enemies, real and perceived, belong in prison.&#8221;
Karl went on to list a number of people Trump has said should go to prison — many of whom were named in recent documents pertaining to the Russian collusion hoax — such as former President Barack Obama and former FBI Director James Comey.
He also mentioned Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Attorney General Letitia James (D-NY), both of whom are already being investigated by DOJ attorney Ed Martin, and claimed that those investigations were also retaliatory efforts on behalf of President Trump.
Karl then complained that an outsized percentage of the high-ranking military officers who had been fired under the Trump administration had been women — a move that he said left the military without even one female active duty four-star general — but made no effort to explain why that was necessarily a bad thing.
&#8220;President Trump promised retribution against his political enemies,&#8221; Karl declared. &#8220;And there is no doubt that he is serious about keeping that promise.&#8221;
Karl then pivoted to the raid on Bolton&#8217;s home — which, according to the Justice Department, was part of an investigation into Bolton&#8217;s handling of classified information — and repeatedly suggested that it was simply more evidence that Trump was attacking and punishing his political enemies.

Former White House Nat’l Security Adviser John Bolton Speaks At Duke University Forum

ABC Frames Bolton Raid As Trump’s Latest Act Of ‘Retribution’

ABC Frames Bolton Raid As Trump's Latest Act Of 'Retribution'

ABC News

Jonathan Karl

The FBI raided the Maryland home of former National Security Adviser John Bolton on Friday morning as part of a national security investigation involving classified information. 
The New York Post, which first <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/22/us-news/patels-fbi-raids-john-boltons-home-in-high-profile-national-security-probe/">reported</a> the raid, said that it was conducted as part of a “high-profile national security probe.” FBI agents began the search around 7:00 am at Bolton’s Bethesda home, the Post reported. 
“NO ONE is above the law…<a href="https://x.com/FBI"> @FBI</a> agents on mission,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X as the raid began. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NO ONE is above the law… <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBI</a> agents on mission
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1958847495028584529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Commenting on FBI Director Kash Patel&#8217;s social media post shortly after the news broke that said &#8220;NO ONE is above the law,&#8221; FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said &#8220;Public corruption will not be tolerated,&#8221; and Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote, &#8220;America’s safety isn’t negotiable. Justice will be pursued. Always.&#8221;
Fox News reported that FBI agents were also seen removing boxes out of Bolton&#8217;s office in Washington, D.C.
When asked about the raid, the FBI told NBC News that it was &#8220;conducting court authorized activity in the area. There is no threat to public safety.&#8221;
The Post also reported that an official said that a previous investigation into Bolton had been quashed “for political reasons.” 
President Donald Trump said Friday morning that he did not know about the raid until he saw the news.
&#8220;I saw it on television this morning. I&#8217;m not a fan of John Bolton. He&#8217;s a real&#8230;lowlife,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;He&#8217;s not a smart guy. But he could be a very unpatriotic guy&#8230;we&#8217;re going find out. I know nothing about it.&#8221;
Bolton served in the first Trump administration from April 2018 until September 2019. After Bolton left the White House, he became a frequent critic of Trump. Bolton was previously the ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush. 
In 2020, he published a book called “The Room Where it Happened” that the Trump administration argued endangered national security. Trump’s Justice Department sued to block its publication and distribution, but that lawsuit was ultimately dismissed after Joe Biden became president in 2021. 
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The book was cited as one of the reasons for the Trump administration to yank Bolton’s security clearance earlier this year. 
“The book was rife with sensitive information drawn from his time in government,” the White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/holding-former-government-officials-accountablefor-election-interference-and-improper-disclosure-of-sensitive-governmental-information/">said</a>. “The memoir’s reckless treatment of sensitive information undermined the ability of future presidents to request and obtain candid advice on matters of national security from their staff.  Publication also created a grave risk that classified material was publicly exposed.”
Trump also moved to pull the Secret Service security detail that was assigned to protect Bolton shortly after he took office in January 2025. Last week, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/he-really-really-hates-the-president-ex-trump-chief-of-staff-unloads-on-john-bolton">slammed</a> Bolton as &#8220;dumb&#8221; in a Truth Social post written in response to criticism over his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 
CNN reported that Bolton was not home at the time of the raid.

Aznar Inaugurates The ‘faes Campus 2024’ On The Renewal Of The European Union

FBI Raids Home Of Former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton

Maryland

Senator Adam Schiff was the point person as Democrats strategically leaked classified information aimed at damaging President Donald Trump during his first term in the White House, journalist Catherine Herridge reported on Wednesday.
Herridge cited an FBI report from 2017, recently declassified via current FBI Director Kash Patel, and said that while the name of the person being interviewed was redacted, it appeared to be someone who sat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
&#8220;According to the FBI report known as a ‘302,’ (name redacted) &#8216;noted Swalwell has been the source of a lot of leaked information and had to be counseled to be more careful,'&#8221; Herridge posted on Tuesday, shortly after obtaining the 266 pages of newly-declassified material.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW I have obtained a newly declassified <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBI</a> interview summary from 2017 about intelligence leaks from the Russia probes.
While the interview subject’s name is withheld, it appears to be a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
According to the FBI… <a href="https://t.co/oGPCXzXtdn">pic.twitter.com/oGPCXzXtdn</a>
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) <a href="https://twitter.com/C__Herridge/status/1955429663473353151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Early on Wednesday, Herridge added that she&#8217;d reached out to Swalwell for comment and he&#8217;d posted his denials via X.
&#8220;This &#8216;whistleblower&#8217; made this bulls*** up when Trump was President. If they had anything, they would have indicted me. Trump would have done anything to destroy me if he could have. They didn’t indict me. Therefore, they had nothing. What’s next?&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This “whistleblower” made this bullshit up when Trump was President. If they had anything, they would have indicted me. Trump would have done anything to destroy me if he could have. They didn’t indict me. Therefore, they had nothing. What’s next? <a href="https://t.co/9LzMIduhra">https://t.co/9LzMIduhra</a>
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepSwalwell/status/1955632944468647971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But Herridge had more to add — also discovered in the declassified 2017 report was the claim that the leaking of classified information had not been &#8220;a one time thing&#8221; so much as a &#8220;systematic process&#8221; — and that Schiff, who at the time was the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, was the linchpin that held the entire operation together.
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&#8220;Notes would be run up to the ranking member, ADAM SCHIFF, after which a decision was made as to who would leak the information,&#8221; an unnamed FBI agent reportedly said after speaking with a GOP House Intelligence Committee staffer.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is the one declassified <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FBI</a> record you should not miss!
The October 2017 FBI report alleges leaking by democrats on the House Intelligence Committee was “not a one-time thing,” there was a “systematic process.”
“&#8230;notes would be run up to the ranking member, ADAM SCHIFF,… <a href="https://t.co/hpEqgzVfAf">https://t.co/hpEqgzVfAf</a> <a href="https://t.co/0XKTETk0aL">pic.twitter.com/0XKTETk0aL</a>
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) <a href="https://twitter.com/C__Herridge/status/1955686857414529506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Schiff, according to Herridge, responded by calling the claims &#8220;absolutely and categorically false.&#8221;
He also lashed out at President Trump, attempting to shift the attention to the president and any still unreleased files pertaining to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump responded to the FBI report early on Wednesday, saying, &#8220;Just out, irrefutable proof that Adam Shifty Schiff &#8216;APPROVED PLAN TO LEAK CLASSIFIED INFORMATION TO DAMAGE DONALD TRUMP.'&#8221;
Schiff protested via X: &#8220;Sorry, Donald. Wrong again. Even Barr’s Justice Department rejected that false smear years ago. But while we are the subject of confidential information, how about releasing those Epstein files? We are still waiting &#8230;&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sorry, Donald. Wrong again.
Even Barr’s Justice Department rejected that false smear years ago.
But while we are the subject of confidential information, how about releasing those Epstein files? We are still waiting… <a href="https://t.co/KJ3XAWrDzW">pic.twitter.com/KJ3XAWrDzW</a>
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenAdamSchiff/status/1955690538012725316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

House Judiciary Committee Examines The Situation At The Southern Border

Herridge: Schiff Ran Point In Democrat Efforts To Strategically Leak Classified Info

Herridge: Schiff Repeatedly Farmed Out Classified Docs For Strategic Leaks

Adam Schiff

leaks

President Joe Biden claimed on Sunday that he had run a campaign free from scandal and critics were quick to point out the errors in that particular statement.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve run a campaign that&#8217;s basically scandal free. That&#8217;s hard to do in American politics these days,&#8221; Biden said.
Biden made the comments during the Democratic National Committee&#8217;s holiday reception in Washington, D.C. — where he also weighed in on the possible political future of Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-tells-kamala-youre-not-going-anywhere-kid-amid-speculation-about-vps-future">Kamala Harris</a>.
The Trump War Room&#8217;s Jacob Schneider posted a brief clip from the event along with a caption that read, &#8220;BIDEN: &#8216;We&#8217;ve run a campaign that&#8217;s basically scandal free. That&#8217;s hard to do in American politics.&#8217; (Except covering up his obvious cognitive decline, peddling his family&#8217;s influence, hiding classified documents, etc etc etc).&#8221;
WATCH: 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨 BIDEN: &quot;We&#39;ve run a campaign that&#39;s basically scandal free. That&#39;s hard to do in American politics.&quot;
(Except covering up his obvious cognitive decline, peddling his family&#39;s influence, hiding classified documents, etc etc etc) <a href="https://t.co/ey4gGYG8W8">pic.twitter.com/ey4gGYG8W8</a>
&mdash; Jake Schneider (@jacobkschneider) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacobkschneider/status/1868440728826982869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
Critics pushed back on Biden&#8217;s claim, laying out a few details that they thought he must have missed when making his assessment.
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&#8220;Does Joe Biden not know what year it is?&#8221; Steve Guest asked, adding, &#8220;He’s cooked if he thinks this.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Does Joe Biden not know what year it is? <a href="https://t.co/L6O0Eu648R">https://t.co/L6O0Eu648R</a>
&mdash; Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1868443373042094376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Sure, but only if we don&#8217;t include &#8211; Afghanistan Withdrawal &#8211; Illegal alien invasion &#8211; Being caught with classified docs &#8211; Cocaine in the White House &#8211; Chinese Spy Balloon &#8211; Medical Emergency forcing him out of the race &#8211; Lying about pardoning Hunter,&#8221; Shawn Farash posted in response.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Sure, but only if we don&#39;t include 
&#8211; Afghanistan Withdrawal &#8211; Illegal alien invasion &#8211; Being caught with classified docs &#8211; Cocaine in the White House &#8211; Chinese Spy Balloon &#8211; Medical Emergency forcing him out of the race &#8211; Lying about pardoning Hunter
&mdash; Shawn Farash (@Shawn_Farash) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shawn_Farash/status/1868480597620043819?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;So he won?&#8221; Stephen L. Miller added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
So he won? <a href="https://t.co/PfNBW5XMvQ">https://t.co/PfNBW5XMvQ</a>
&mdash; Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) <a href="https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1868452723177480296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Joe Biden says his entire campaign was &#8216;scandal free,'&#8221; another posted, adding, &#8220;Who wants to tell him?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Joe Biden says his entire campaign was “scandal free”
Who wants to tell him? <a href="https://t.co/1QtgSZpUrI">https://t.co/1QtgSZpUrI</a>
&mdash; KᗴᒪᒪᗴY ✰ (@Patriotmom717) <a href="https://twitter.com/Patriotmom717/status/1868445219370209554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Biden raised eyebrows just last week when, just days after issuing a sweeping pardon to his embattled son Hunter Biden, he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-announces-mass-commutations-after-criticism-over-hunter-pardon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commuted some 1500 sentences</a> in one day.
As The Daily Wire previously reported:
<blockquote>In addition to those granted clemency, Biden said he was also pardoning 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes, including drug offenses. In total, the White House said that Biden’s actions “represent the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.”</blockquote>
Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this report.

President Biden Delivers Remarks On Situation In Syria

Biden Claims His Campaign Was ‘Basically Scandal Free’ And People Have Thoughts

2024 Election

Hunter Biden

Kamala Harris

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