The information that provided the basis for the warrant to search John Bolton’s home Friday was based on intelligence collected overseas by the CIA, according to people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation.

John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, provided Kash Patel, the FBI director, with limited access to the intelligence. It involved the mishandling of classified material by Bolton, the people said.

The search of the home and office of Bolton, who was national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term, was a major escalation of a long-running inquiry into whether he collected or leaked sensitive national security information, law enforcement officials said.

The nature of the intelligence collected overseas is not known. The FBI obtained the search warrant after presenting evidence to a federal judge. Bolton’s office declined to comment.

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/bolton-investigation-linked-to-overseas-intelligence/