President Donald Trump has bizarrely claimed he is the chief law enforcement officer of America while insisting he knew nothing about the FBI raid on John Bolton’s home.
Speaking for the first time after agents swooped on Bolton’s Maryland property on Friday morning, Trump also lashed out at his former national security adviser’s hawkish approach to foreign policy, telling reporters: “He wants to always kill people.”
“I don’t know about it; I saw it on television this morning,” Trump said when asked if he was briefed about the search. “I’m not a fan of John Bolton. He’s sort of a lowlife.”
The raid was the latest development in longstanding bad blood between Bolton and Trump, who worked together in the president’s first administration but often clashed over how to handle major policy challenges such as Iran, North Korea, and Afghanistan.
But tensions escalated after Bolton was ousted from the White House in 2019 and later published a tell-all book, The Room Where It Happened, about his time as Trump’s national security adviser.
The book now forms part of a renewed investigation into whether Bolton disclosed classified documents, which culminated in the stunning raid on his home and office on Friday morning.
Trump had tried to quash the book at the time, claiming that Bolton had breached a non-disclosure agreement signed as a condition of his employment.
In a Fox News interview in 2020, he also said Bolton “took classified information, and he published it during a presidency,” adding that: “I believe that he’s a criminal, and I believe, frankly, he should go to jail for that.”
Asked about the raid on Friday, Trump claimed Bolton was “not a smart guy” who “could be very unpatriotic.”
“I mean, we’re going to find out. I know nothing about it. I just saw it this morning,” he said.
However, in a stunning statement, he added: “I could know about it. I could be the one starting it. I’m actually the chief law enforcement officer, but I feel that it’s better this way.”
The comment was contentious not only because the Justice Department has traditionally operated at arm’s length from the White House, but because its own guidelines state that the U.S. Attorney General is the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.
But since returning to power, Trump has reshaped the department to suit his agenda, attacking “radical” judges who rule against him, punishing media and law firms he views as hostile, and replacing career civil servants with political appointees.
Under Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, several of Trump’s perceived enemies have also been targeted.
Among those currently being investigated are former New York Attorney General Leticia James (who prosecuted Trump for civil fraud), California Senator Adam Schiff (who was on the January 6 select committee that probed the Capitol riots), and former FBI director James Comey (over Russiagate).
“If this has turned out to be politically motivated, it’s just another example of an erosion of public trust,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore told CNN.
“People deserve to know what exactly the FBI is searching for and what exactly the FBI uncovered.”
