WASHINGTON — John Bolton, a former national security adviser to President Donald Trump turned prominent Trump critic, is expected to be charged with federal crimes soon, according to two federal officials with knowledge of the investigation.
Bolton served as one of Trump’s national security advisers in his first term before a contentious exit.
Trump publicly called for Bolton to be prosecuted in June 2020 after the then-former national security adviser wrote an unflattering book about his experience working for Trump.
Leading Trump critic Bolton has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s, particularly on foreign policy involving Russia, in the years since.
Bolton would be the third Trump critic to face criminal charges since late September.
WASHINGTON — Two federal officials with knowledge of the investigation predicted that John Bolton, a prominent Trump critic and former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, would soon face federal charges.
According to one official, Bolton might face charges the following week. The other stated that he might soon face charges.
The U.S. would file the charges. A. Bolton’s home state of Maryland is the Attorney’s Office, the officials stated. The initial report on the development came from MSNBC.
A request for comment from Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, was not immediately answered.
An official from the Department of Justice declined to comment on grand jury-related issues.
“This Justice Department is one team in our mission to make America safe again, but as a matter of law, we will not discuss any grand jury matters with the media,” the spokesperson stated. Additionally, the Deputy Attorney General, the Attorney General, and the entire Main Justice team continue to enable our US Attorneys to seek justice in each and every case. “”.
Bolton’s residence in Maryland and his residence in Washington, D.C., were searched by the FBI. In August, the office will be open. At the time, an individual with knowledge of the situation told NBC News that the searches were a component of a “national security investigation in search of classified records.”. “.”.
Bolton’s attorney, Lowell, has stated on numerous occasions that Bolton’s possession of documents bearing classified markings went all the way back to the George W. Bush administration, during which Bolton was the U.S. S. ambassador to the UN, and would be similar to those held by a long-time government worker.
Searches were prompted by CIA intelligence.
The source claimed that FBI Director Kash Patel received intelligence from CIA Director John Ratcliffe that served as the foundation for the search warrant. Bolton was a national security adviser to Trump during his first term before his controversial resignation.
According to the source at the time, the searches were centered on Bolton’s handling of classified materials and possible cases of such documents being used in leaks to news media. They also mentioned that it had to do with a criminal investigation that started under the Biden administration.
According to search warrant affidavits pertaining to the searches made public last month, there may have been unauthorized possession of classified materials and possible violations of the Espionage Act, such as the collection or dissemination of national defense information without authorization.
In June 2020, after Bolton, the former national security adviser, wrote a book that was critical of his time working for Trump, Trump publicly called for Bolton to be prosecuted.
“He made a great deal of confidential, classified, and classified information public.”. Trump said in an interview with Fox News at the time, “That’s illegal and you go to jail for that.”.
In 2020, Bolton claimed to have obtained a letter from a National Security Council official stating that the book was free of classified material, so he had fulfilled his legal obligations.
Trump was charged with mishandling top-secret documents and impeding efforts to retrieve them after he left office in 2023. In 2024, however, Trump appointee federal judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the accusations.
top Trump detractor.
In the years since, Bolton has been a vocal opponent of Trump, especially when it comes to his foreign policy with Russia. Following the searches, Bolton persisted in his criticism of Trump’s foreign policy.
Bolton has also been the target of Trump’s frequent criticism, which has included derogatory remarks like “dumb” and “lowlife.”.
Days into his second term, Trump cancelled Bolton’s Secret Service detail despite the fact that a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was allegedly planning his murder for hire.
Since late September, Bolton would be the third Trump opponent to be charged with a crime.
Late September saw the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey on obstruction and false statement to Congress charges. On Thursday, New York Attorney General Letitia James was charged with bank fraud.
Those indictments followed a Sept. 20 post on Truth Social in which Trump called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Sen. Schiff, Adam, D-Calif.
“They are all culpable, but nothing will be done,” the post stated. “We are at our breaking point. “”.
The public posting was intended to be sent directly to Bondi, an administration official told NBC News.
Both James and Comey have denied any wrongdoing and entered not guilty pleas to the charges.
