John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, was indicted Thursday on charges of mishandling classified material. The indictment, filed in federal court in Greenbelt, MD, charges Bolton with eight counts of transmitting national defense information (NDI) and ten counts of unlawfully retaining NDI.
Prosecutors allege that between 2018 and 2022, Bolton used personal email and messaging applications to send NDI—including top-secret documents—to individuals not authorized to receive them. The indictment also says he kept classified materials at his Maryland home.
The FBI searched Bolton’s home and Washington, DC office in August, seizing dozens of unauthorized documents and electronic devices, according to prosecutors.
Bolton’s legal team denied wrongdoing, saying the materials had been approved as part of a pre-publication review for Bolton’s book.
The Justice Department said the seized files “revealed intelligence about future attacks, foreign adversaries, and foreign-policy relations,” including “information revealing sources and methods used to obtain statements on a foreign adversary.”
FBI Director Kash Patel praised investigators’ “meticulous work” and said the case shows that “weaponization of justice will not be tolerated.”
If convicted, Bolton faces up to 10 years in prison for each count.
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