John Bolton is now facing a total of 18 charges, which include eight counts related to the transmission of national defense information and ten counts concerning the retention of such sensitive data.
According to the indictment, while serving as national security adviser to Donald Trump, Bolton allegedly shared over a thousand pages detailing his daily activities with two individuals who were not authorized to receive classified information. Prosecutors emphasized that both recipients were connected to Bolton personally and lacked the necessary clearance for access to such sensitive material.
The investigation also uncovered printed “diary” entries in Bolton’s residence, further complicating the legal situation he now faces.
Bolton is anticipated to turn himself in to authorities at the federal court in Greenbelt, possibly as early as Friday. The case has been assigned to Judge Theodore D. Chuang, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2014.
FBI Director Kash Patel issued a statement highlighting the severity of the allegations, stating, “The FBI’s investigation revealed that John Bolton allegedly transmitted top secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house in direct violation of federal law.”
“The FBI’s investigation revealed that John Bolton allegedly transmitted top secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house in direct violation of federal law,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
“The case was based on meticulous work from dedicated career professionals at the FBI who followed the facts without fear or favor. Weaponisation of justice will not be tolerated, and this FBI will stop at nothing to bring to justice anyone who threatens our national security.”
Bolton, who has been under investigation for alleged unlawful handling of classified information, becomes the third high-profile Trump political enemy to be indicted in less than a month.
He allegedly shared highly classified information with his wife and daughter over email, sources told CNN.
Sources previously told CNN that part of the Justice Department’s investigation centres around notes he was making to himself in an AOL email account â at times writing summaries of his activities like diary entries â when he was working for Trump.
FBI agents executed a search warrant on Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, DC, office this summer. The agents seized multiple documents labelled “secret,” “confidential,” and “classified,” including some about weapons of mass destruction, according to court records.
