Former national security adviser John Bolton, previously part of the Trump administration, faced charges on Thursday for storing confidential documents at his residence and sharing diary-like notes with family members that included classified details about his government tenure.
The indictment, consisting of 18 charges, indicated that classified information was potentially compromised when individuals associated with the Iranian regime breached Bolton’s email account in 2021, accessing sensitive data he had disclosed. Despite Bolton’s acknowledgment to the FBI of the email hack, prosecutors alleged that he omitted revealing the transmission of classified information via the account or the hackers’ access to such data.
The probe into Bolton, who served in Donald Trump’s initial administration for over a year before his dismissal in 2019, became public in August with FBI searches conducted at his Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office to locate retained classified records from his government tenure.
The indictment, lodged in federal court in Greenbelt, Md., signifies a forthcoming court battle centered on a longstanding figure in Republican foreign policy circles known for his assertive stance on American power, notably during his role as U.S. ambassador to the UN under President George W. Bush. Post his departure from Trump’s administration, Bolton emerged as a vocal critic of the president.
The charges allege that Bolton misused his position as national security adviser by sharing over 1,000 pages of information regarding his daily tasks with unauthorized individuals, including family members. Additionally, he is accused of unlawfully retaining documents related to national defense, encompassing top secret-level classified data, at his Maryland residence.
Bolton vehemently denied the accusations in a statement, attributing them to a concerted effort by Trump to intimidate his adversaries. His attorney emphasized that the charges stemmed from excerpts of Bolton’s personal diaries, which were unclassified, only shared with family, and known to the FBI since 2021.
While the investigation commenced during the Biden administration and predates Trump’s second term, concerns persist regarding the purported politicization of the Justice Department to target political opponents, exemplified by recent indictments against figures like former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Unlike the aforementioned cases initiated in Virginia by a prosecutor hastily appointed by Trump, Bolton’s case was filed in Maryland by a U.S. attorney with a background as a career prosecutor.
Bolton’s handling of classified information had been under scrutiny previously, notably following disputes with the Justice Department post his 2020 book release, “The Room Where It Happened,” depicting Trump’s alleged lack of foreign policy acumen. The Trump administration contended that the manuscript contained classified data detrimental to national security, a claim disputed by Bolton’s legal team citing clearance from a National Security Council official.
The indictment marks a significant episode in Bolton’s extensive government career, starting from his tenure in the Reagan administration’s Justice Department to his role as U.S. ambassador to the UN under George W. Bush. Despite being appointed as Trump’s third national security adviser in 2018, Bolton’s tenure was marked by discord with the president over various international issues, ultimately leading to his resignation in 2019.
In response to Bolton’s critical book, Trump labeled him negatively, asserting that the publication contained highly classified information and insinuating lack of approval for its release.
