Overview

• Federal judges approved warrants executed last week at John Bolton’s Bethesda residence and Washington office as part of an active mishandling investigation.
• The inquiry, initially opened years ago, regained momentum during the Biden administration following intelligence about emails allegedly sent on an unclassified system.
• Those messages reportedly drew on classified documents and were sent to people assisting Bolton as he prepared his book, with some sensitive details not published.
• Prosecutors sought to determine whether Bolton retained materials matching the foreign-held cache, and no criminal charges have been announced.
• The foreign service that obtained the emails has not been identified, though reporting notes Iran, Russia, and China as plausible candidates, and Bolton has consulted defense lawyer Abbe Lowell.