Former Trump adviser John Bolton will appear in court charged with mishandling classified information.
John Bolton, former National Security Advisor to Donald Trump and one of the most vocal critics of the U.S. president, is expected to surrender and appear in court today for his initial hearing, facing charges of improper handling of classified material.
Bolton, who was indicted on Thursday, is the third high-profile Trump critic to face prosecution in recent weeks, as the U.S. president appears to be sidestepping long-standing political norms meant to shield federal law enforcement from political influence.
The indictment alleges that Bolton shared sensitive information with two relatives for potential use in a forthcoming book — including notes from classified briefings and meetings with senior government officials and foreign leaders.
“I look forward to the battle to defend my lawful conduct and to expose Trump’s abuse of power,” Bolton said in a statement issued Thursday.
Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, stated that his client committed no illegal act regarding the dissemination or storage of the information.
Trump’s pressure campaign
Trump — who ran for re-election with a vow of revenge after his first term in the White House ended in 2021 under a cloud of legal troubles — has been pressuring his Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to pursue charges against his political adversaries.
That pressure included urging the Department of Justice to file cases against figures such as former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, while also removing a prosecutor he viewed as moving too slowly.
The Bolton investigation began in 2022, prior to Trump’s departure from the White House.
Within the Justice Department, the case is viewed as stronger than the prosecutions of Comey and James, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The indictment, filed in federal court in Maryland, accuses Bolton of eight counts of transmitting national defense information and ten counts of retaining such information, all in violation of the Espionage Act.
Each charge carries a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years, with the final sentence to be determined by the judge based on multiple factors.
The book discussions and the revelations
In several of the conversations described in the indictment, Bolton and his relatives, who are not named, allegedly discussed the possibility of using the material for his book.
According to the filing, Bolton referred to the two people with whom he shared his daily notes as his “publishers.”
“I’m talking to the (book publisher), because they have the right of first refusal!” Bolton wrote in one of the messages, according to the indictment.
The two relatives mentioned are Bolton’s wife and daughter, according to two individuals familiar with the case.
John Bolton served as National Security Advisor in Trump’s White House during his first term, before emerging as one of his most fierce critics.
A former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Bolton called Trump unfit for office in a memoir released last year.
When asked by reporters at the White House about Bolton’s indictment on Thursday, Trump replied: “He’s a bad guy.”
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Bolton, who was indicted on Thursday, is the third high-profile Trump critic to face prosecution in recent weeks, as the U.S. president appears to be sidestepping long-standing political norms meant to shield federal law enforcement from political influence.
The indictment alleges that Bolton shared sensitive information with two relatives for potential use in a forthcoming book — including notes from classified briefings and meetings with senior government officials and foreign leaders.
“I look forward to the battle to defend my lawful conduct and to expose Trump’s abuse of power,” Bolton said in a statement issued Thursday.
Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, stated that his client committed no illegal act regarding the dissemination or storage of the information.
Trump’s pressure campaign
Trump — who ran for re-election with a vow of revenge after his first term in the White House ended in 2021 under a cloud of legal troubles — has been pressuring his Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to pursue charges against his political adversaries.
That pressure included urging the Department of Justice to file cases against figures such as former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, while also removing a prosecutor he viewed as moving too slowly.
The Bolton investigation began in 2022, prior to Trump’s departure from the White House.
Within the Justice Department, the case is viewed as stronger than the prosecutions of Comey and James, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The indictment, filed in federal court in Maryland, accuses Bolton of eight counts of transmitting national defense information and ten counts of retaining such information, all in violation of the Espionage Act.
Each charge carries a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years, with the final sentence to be determined by the judge based on multiple factors.
The book discussions and the revelations
In several of the conversations described in the indictment, Bolton and his relatives, who are not named, allegedly discussed the possibility of using the material for his book.
According to the filing, Bolton referred to the two people with whom he shared his daily notes as his “publishers.”
“I’m talking to the (book publisher), because they have the right of first refusal!” Bolton wrote in one of the messages, according to the indictment.
The two relatives mentioned are Bolton’s wife and daughter, according to two individuals familiar with the case.
John Bolton served as National Security Advisor in Trump’s White House during his first term, before emerging as one of his most fierce critics.
A former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Bolton called Trump unfit for office in a memoir released last year.
When asked by reporters at the White House about Bolton’s indictment on Thursday, Trump replied: “He’s a bad guy.”
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