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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Joseph Gedeon in Washington

John Bolton raid shows weaponization of FBI against Patel’s ‘gangsters’ list

A side by side image showing FBI director Kash Patel and ex-national security adviser Jon Bolton
John Bolton joins a growing list of Trump critics from Kash Patel’s roll the administration has targeted with what appear to be retaliatory federal investigations. Composite: Shutterstock and AP

When Kash Patel, the FBI director, faced senators during his confirmation hearings on 30 January, he bristled at suggestions that his 2023 book contained an “enemies list”. The appendix to Government Gangsters, which included a list of names for around 60 people, was simply documentation of those who had “weaponized” the government, he insisted.

Seven months later, that denial appears increasingly hollow. Friday’s FBI search of the former national security adviser John Bolton’s home and office, reportedly to find classified documents, marks the fifth investigation targeting people from Patel’s book.

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