Former Trump national security adviser indicted

John Bolton, who served as Donald Trump’s national security adviser before becoming a vocal critic of the president, has been indicted on federal charges and faces decades in prison.

The Justice Department presented a case to a grand jury in Maryland on Thursday, and the jury agreed there was enough evidence to indict Bolton.

This came after FBI agents searched Bolton’s home and office in August as part of an investigation into the handling of classified information.

The indictment singles out Bolton, 76, as the third of the US president’s political opponents to face charges in the past week, following former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Bolton is charged with eight counts of transmission of national defense information (NDI) and 10 counts of unlawful retention of NDI, according to the 26-page indictment filed Thursday in a court in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Prosecutors accuse him of illegally transmitting top-secret information related to U.S. national defense using his personal email and other messaging apps.

“These documents revealed intelligence about future attacks, foreign adversaries, and foreign policy relationships,” the document says.

He adds: “These documents contained intelligence on the enemy’s leaders, as well as information revealing sources and collections used to obtain testimony about a foreign enemy.”

If convicted, Bolton could face up to 10 years in prison on each charge.

“There is one level of justice for all Americans,” U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi said in a statement announcing the charges.

“Anyone who abuses their power and endangers our national security will be held accountable. No one is above the law.”

Bolton has yet to comment but has denied any wrongdoing. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, has previously said Bolton handled the recordings appropriately. The suspect is expected to surrender to authorities on Friday.

According to CNN, Bolton allegedly shared this information with his wife and daughter. In the indictment, which does not specify who is accused of giving the information, they are defined as “Persons 1 and 2”.

Prosecutors say both men are “related” to Bolton and never had a U.S. security clearance.

The unauthorized information included “diary-like entries from Bolton’s time as National Security Advisor” and was allegedly “printed and stored” at Bolton’s home in Maryland.

Bolton was fired from Trump’s first administration in 2019. His 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, chronicled his years working under Trump and portrayed him as a president with inadequate knowledge of geopolitics and whose decision-making was dominated by his desire for re-election.

The White House sued to block the book’s publication, arguing that it contained classified information and had not been properly reviewed. The judge denied the request and the book was published days later.

Thereupon, the US Department of Justice launched an investigation into whether Bolton mishandled confidential information by disclosing some information in the book.

Asked about the indictment at the White House on Thursday, Trump said he had no knowledge of it but added that Bolton was a “bad guy.”

Trump has previously described Bolton as “extremely incompetent” and a “liar.” He also called for his own prosecution.

Asked in August about the investigation into Bolton, Trump said he “didn’t want to get involved” and did not directly order the search of Bolton’s home and office, but referred to Bolton as “scum.”

Around the time the searches began, FBI Director Kash Patel shared on X: “NO ONE is above the law.” Bolton’s name was not included in the post.

Bondi shared the post and added: “America’s security is unquestionable. Justice will be sought. Always.”

Bolton, who served as George W Bush’s ambassador to the UN, was among former officials critical of Trump whose Secret Service protection was revoked by the Trump administration in January.

He became the third person to criticize Trump since September.

New York City Attorney General Letitia James was criminally charged with bank fraud in October.

Former FBI director James Comey was indicted in late September on charges of lying to Congress and obstructing congressional proceedings.

The indictments followed a social media post in which Trump called on U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi, who runs the justice department, to prosecute his political opponents.

The post included the names of Comey, James and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who oversaw Trump’s first impeachment trial.

“We cannot delay any longer, it is killing our reputation and credibility,” he wrote.