John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s national security advisor during his first term, had his Bethesda, Maryland, home searched by federal agents on Friday, Aug. 22, according to news reports.

The search is part of a national security probe ordered by FBI Director Kash Patel, according to the New York Post and CNN.

Bolton, who served in President Donald Trump’s first term, has become a vocal critic of the administration’s foreign policy since leaving his post in 2019 and has called the president unfit to serve. Trump previously revoked Bolton’s security detail and his security clearance after clashes over policy.

Here’s what to know about John Bolton.

Who is John Bolton?

Bolton, 76, is a Yale graduate, lawyer and diplomat who has become known for his neoconservative foreign policy stance after spending decades serving in several Republican administrations.

Bolton is also an attorney, according to his publisher’s biography, and was in private practice in Washington, D.C., from 1974 to 2018, except during his time in government service. From roughly 1981 to 1993, Bolton served at several federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Justice and the Department of State.

He was Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security for several years before former President George W. Bush appointed him as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, from 2005 to 2006.

He has long advocated an aggressive U.S. foreign policy and the use of American military might, including the right to strike first against potential threats. He was a strong proponent of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, and has continued to defend his role in pushing for the war in the years since.

In a March 2023 interview with NPR reflecting on the decades-long war, Bolton stood by his decisions.

“Terrorist groups were still around in the Middle East and worldwide,” Bolton said, referring to the period of time after the 9/11 attacks. “What’s the most prudent thing to do? My view is, was then and is today, the most prudent thing to do, from the point of view of innocent civilians of the United States, is remove the threat.”

And as a columnist and Fox News contributor after leaving the Bush administration, Bolton advocated for preemptive military action against Iran and North Korea.

What is Bolton and Trump’s relationship?

Bolton joined the Trump administration as his national security adviser, replacing outgoing national security adviser H.R. McMaster in March 2018.

Bolton left his post in September 2019, saying he had decided to quit after 17 months in the position. He was Trump’s third national security adviser during his first term. The pair’s relationship, already strained after his departure, exploded into a public feud upon the 2020 publication of the former adviser’s book, “The Room Where It Happened.” It painted a largely unflattering picture of the Trump administration and his foreign policy decisions, and ignited a series of rebukes from the Republican president.

Since leaving office, Bolton has become a sharp critic of Trump and his foreign policy, and has been a frequent commentator in the media. Bolton declined to testify voluntarily at the 2019 House impeachment inquiry related to allegations he used military aid as leverage to pressure Ukraine into opening politically motivated investigations, and vowed to fight a subpoena in court. Parts of Bolton’s book were leaked at the time, with Bolton writing that Trump had made it clear he did not want the aid in question released until Ukraine agreed to help with the investigations.

In an Aug. 15 interview with CNN, Bolton criticized Trump’s summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying that while Trump did not achieve anything in the meeting. “I think Trump did not lose, but Putin clearly won,” he said.

On his first day back in office for his second term in January, Trump revoked the security clearances of dozens of former officials, including Bolton. In the presidential action, the administration accused the former national security chief of publishing classified information in his book, which Bolton has repeatedly denied, and claimed that Bolton was fired from his post. Trump also revoked Bolton’s security detail in February.

Contributing: William Cummings, Bart Jansen, USA TODAY.

Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is John Bolton? Ex-Trump adviser had house raided by FBI

Reporting by Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect