John Bolton former national security advisor raided

[ReturnofBroccoli]

The news article talking about John Bolton a national security advisor during 2018-2019 who was raided by the fbi recently with cryptic messages posted along the lines of national security being negotionable. Any speculation as to what they suspected to find here?

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-bo...ources-say

[putnam6]

NGL, this is one war mongering walrus I'd like to see grilled....
It could be for show(likely), or it could be he is squealing(unlikely)
koo koo cha choo

[UltraBudgie]

Oh no, our favourite pushbroom w/attached psychopath!

NYPost is reporting that it's related to classified documents:

The probe — which is said to involve classified documents — was first launched years ago, but the Biden administration shut it down “for political reasons,” according to a senior US official.

https://nypost.com/2025/08/22/us-news/pa...ity-probe/

[xuenchen]

He's been on the anti-Trump train all along. His criminal investigations were miraculously dropped by The Biden DOJ. He's been a leaker and classified material broker for a long time (similar to what Biden was always doing). His security clearances AND security detail was stripped away recently for security reasons! And, the "Iran Death Threats" aimed at him are all red herring fakes to create an illusion of "Loyalty". 

[quintessentone]

The news article talking about John Bolton a national security advisor during 2018-2019 who was raided by the fbi recently with cryptic messages posted along the lines of national security being negotionable. Any speculation as to what they suspected to find here?

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/john-bo...ources-say

Old man underwear?

[Vermilion]

FBI Official:

“It is widely known the Bolton mishandled and took classified information for use in his 2020 book, after he failed to get approval from the National Security Council for the publication of what they determined to be highly classified information.

This raid of Bolton’s residence comes after years of investigation into this potentially criminal disclosure, which started in 2020, before being put on pause for political reasons.

The Trump administration is committed to restoring integrity to the Justice department and ending the weaponization government. Our investigation will follow the evidence and ensure accountability.”

He’s in deep doody up to his mustache.
He is now in the FO phase of FAFO.

[matafuchyou]

Everyone thinks people will not be held responsible. They raided his home, then tried to jail him and THEN tried to kill him. 

I for one am looking forward to the continued arrests and/or raids on people. 

I am sure there are quite a few people who are very,very nervous this morning. 

Bolton is the one most likely to flip on my eyes.

[putnam6]

Bolton and Fauci, the bold bubonic bastards of democracy's bureaucracy... these 2 have way too much influence worldwide for a long time.



Weirdly, early on, contemporaneously, I thought both were competent and were working for America's best interests...

No doubt, information on ATS changed my mind... between AIDS, wars, and COVID, are there 2 other non-elected American bureaucratic officials more involved in the loss of innocent lives worldwide...
 

John Bolton, a prominent figure in American foreign policy, has been associated with a hawkish stance, advocating for military interventions and regime changes across multiple administrations. His involvement in U.S. foreign policy spans decades, notably as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security (2001–2005), U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2005–2006), and National Security Advisor (2018–2019). Below is an overview of the wars and conflicts he has been politically involved with, based on his roles and public positions, without attributing direct causation to him personally:
Key Conflicts and Bolton’s Political Involvement

1. Iraq War (2003–2011)  
   • Role: Bolton is widely regarded as an "architect" of the Iraq War. As a Director of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), he was a signatory to a 1998 letter to President Bill Clinton urging the removal of Saddam Hussein using U.S. diplomatic, political, and military power. As Under Secretary of State under George W. Bush, he was a vocal advocate for the 2003 invasion, defending it as justified even years later, despite the failure to find weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). In a 2023 NPR interview, he maintained the invasion was the right decision, arguing its legality under prior U.N. resolutions from the 1990s.
     
   • Impact: The Iraq War led to an estimated 654,965 deaths and destabilized the region, contributing to the rise of ISIS and the 2015 refugee crisis. Bolton’s unapologetic support has drawn criticism for ignoring the war’s catastrophic consequences.
     
2. Afghanistan War (2001–2021)  
   • Role: As Under Secretary of State during the early years of the Afghanistan War, Bolton was involved in shaping U.S. policy post-9/11. While his specific role was less prominent than in Iraq, he supported the broader "War on Terror" framework, which included the invasion to oust the Taliban. Critics note his hawkish stance extended to pushing for prolonged U.S. presence, and he later criticized Biden’s 2021 withdrawal, arguing it lacked strategy despite public and veteran support for ending the war.
     
   • Impact: Bolton’s advocacy for continued military engagement clashed with growing calls for withdrawal, with 67% of veterans supporting a full exit by 2021.
     
3. Libya Intervention (2011)  
   • Role: Bolton supported the NATO-led military intervention that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. During negotiations over Libya’s WMD program in the early 2000s, he initially played a key role but was sidelined after pushing to backtrack from agreements, as the British convinced the Bush administration to limit his involvement. His support for regime change aligned with the 2011 intervention.
     
   • Impact: The intervention destabilized Libya, leading to ongoing conflict and a power vacuum, which critics link to Bolton’s broader interventionist philosophy.
     
4. Syria (2014–Present)  
   • Role: As National Security Advisor, Bolton pushed for an expanded U.S. military presence in Syria beyond the Obama-era mission to combat ISIS. He advocated for a broader strategy to counter Assad’s government, Iran, and Hezbollah, clashing with Trump’s desire to limit U.S. involvement. His efforts to maintain or increase troop presence were part of his broader vision for U.S. dominance in the region.
     
   • Impact: The U.S. maintained a limited presence, but Bolton’s push for escalation risked broader conflict with Iran and Russia, which Trump resisted.
     
5. Iran (Ongoing Tensions)  
   • Role: Bolton has consistently advocated for military action against Iran. In a 2015 op-ed titled “To Stop Iran’s Bomb, Bomb Iran,” he called for preemptive strikes. As National Security Advisor, he was “devastated” when Trump opted not to attack Iran after it downed a U.S. drone in 2019. He convened a controversial meeting at CIA headquarters in 2019, echoing Cheney’s Iraq War tactics, to push for confrontation. His rhetoric framed the 2023 Gaza war as an “Iranian war against Israel” via proxies, urging the elimination of Hamas.
     
   • Impact: Bolton’s aggressive stance contributed to the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, escalating tensions but not leading to direct war, partly due to Trump’s restraint.
     
6. North Korea (Ongoing Tensions)  
   • Role: Bolton played a key role in dismantling the 1994 Agreed Framework with North Korea, which had frozen Pyongyang’s plutonium program. As Under Secretary of State, he pushed for regime change over diplomacy, later calling Trump’s negotiations with Kim Jong Un “appeasement.” In a 2018 op-ed, he argued for a preemptive strike, heightening fears of conflict during his tenure as National Security Advisor.
     
   • Impact: His actions in the early 2000s contributed to North Korea’s nuclear advancements, and his later hawkishness clashed with Trump’s diplomatic efforts, though no war materialized.
     
7. Venezuela (2019)  
   • Role: As National Security Advisor, Bolton hinted at military intervention to remove Nicolás Maduro, aligning with a U.S. pressure campaign. Trump reportedly felt “backed into a corner” by Bolton’s aggressive rhetoric, and his misjudgment of Venezuelan opposition strength weakened his influence.
     
   • Impact: No military action occurred, but Bolton’s push strained U.S. policy and frustrated Trump, contributing to his ouster in 2019.
     
8. Vietnam War (1955–1975)  
   • Role: While not directly involved in policymaking, Bolton was a vocal supporter of the Vietnam War as a Yale student, writing an op-ed titled “No Peace in Vietnam.” He avoided combat by joining the Maryland National Guard, later admitting he had “no desire to die in a Southeast Asian rice paddy.” His early hawkish views foreshadowed his later interventionist policies.
     
   • Impact: His stance reflected a pattern of advocating for wars without personal involvement, a point critics highlight when questioning his credibility.
     
9. Alleged Coup Attempts (Various)  
   • Role: In a 2022 CNN interview, Bolton admitted to helping plan coups in foreign countries, though he did not specify which ones. This sparked controversy, with critics pointing to U.S. interventions like the 1953 Iran coup or Latin American coups in the 1970s. However, no direct evidence ties him to specific coup planning beyond his general advocacy for regime change.
     
   • Impact: His admission fueled perceptions of him as a reckless interventionist, though details remain vague.
     

Broader Context and Criticism

• Hawkish Philosophy: Bolton’s career is marked by a consistent preference for military solutions over diplomacy, famously inverting Churchill’s maxim to favor “war-war” over “jaw-jaw.” Critics argue he cherry-picked intelligence to justify interventions, as seen in his exaggerated claims about Cuba’s bioweapons in 2002.
  
• Controversial Actions: He opposed reparations for Japanese-American internment victims, undermined international institutions like the ICC and U.N., and pushed for policies like infant formula marketing in countries with contaminated water, reflecting a broader disregard for human consequences.
  
• Public and Veteran Backlash: Posts on X and veteran sentiment highlight Bolton’s disconnect from the costs of war. His criticism of Trump’s peace efforts (e.g., Armenia-Azerbaijan, Congo-Rwanda) and dismissal of withdrawal plans as “not strategic” have been met with accusations of warmongering.
  

Tally of Wars and Conflicts
Bolton has been politically involved in at least seven major conflicts (Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Iran tensions, North Korea tensions, Venezuela tensions) and expressed support for the Vietnam War, though he held no policymaking role then. His admitted involvement in unspecified coup attempts adds an indeterminate number of additional interventions. Direct wars (Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya) number three, with the others remaining tensions or proxy conflicts due to pushback or restraint from others, notably Trump.
The Hubbub
The current “hubbub” around Bolton stems from an FBI raid on his Bethesda home on August 22, 2025, as part of a national security investigation into classified records, likely tied to his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened. The Trump-era Justice Department sued him for allegedly violating prepublication review requirements, claiming he disclosed classified information. The Biden administration dropped the case, but the raid, coupled with posts on X from figures like FBI Director Kash Patel, suggests renewed scrutiny under Trump’s second term. Critics on X frame Bolton as a symbol of neoconservative failure, with his home raid seen as either justice or political retribution.
Critical Perspective
Bolton’s record reflects a pattern of advocating for aggressive U.S. intervention, often without regard for long-term consequences or public support. His influence was tempered by figures like Trump, who resisted his push for wars in Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela. While he didn’t single-handedly start wars, his role in shaping policy—especially for Iraq—has left a lasting, controversial legacy. The absence of WMDs in Iraq, the destabilization of Libya, and North Korea’s nuclear progress underscore the failures of his approach, as critics on X and in media like The Intercept and Rolling Stone argue. Conversely, Bolton defends his actions as necessary for U.S. security, a view increasingly at odds with public and veteran calls for de-escalation.
If you want specific details on any conflict or source, let me know, and I can dig deeper!

[xuenchen]

MSM desperately and feverishly attempting to make this about The Epstein Files 

Bolton must be ready to get indicted 

[Vermilion]

MSM desperately and feverishly attempting to make this about The Epstein Files 

Bolton must be ready to get indicted 

*Knock knock*

Bolton: Who’s there?

FBI: FBI, we mustache you a few questions.