John Bolton, the former National Security Adviser during Donald Trump’s first administration and now a staunch critic of the president, has been formally charged with nearly twenty counts of mishandling classified documents.
The Department of Justice reported Thursday that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against Bolton—who served as an adviser from 2018 to 2019—for unlawfully transmitting and withholding national defense information, according to a statement.
“There is only one level of justice for all Americans. Anyone who abuses a position of power and jeopardizes our national security will be held accountable. No one is above the law,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
FBI Director Kash Patel asserted that “the case was based on the meticulous work of professionals (…) at the FBI who followed the events with complete transparency.” “The use of justice as a weapon will not be tolerated, and the FBI will stop at nothing to bring to justice anyone who threatens our national security,” he stated.
Bolton allegedly transmitted documents classified as top secret through personal email accounts and messaging applications. These documents contained information about future attacks, foreign adversaries, and foreign policy relationships.
The indictment also alleges that Bolton unlawfully retained confidential documents—about an adversary’s leaders, sources, and compilations used to obtain statements about a foreign adversary—at his home.
In August, the FBI searched his home in Bethesda, Maryland. After leaving the Trump administration, Bolton published a book about his White House adventures titled “The Room Where It Happened,” in which he described the US president as incompetent.
