WASHINGTON — John Bolton, who served as national security adviser during Donald Trump’s first term before becoming a critic of the president, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of mishandling classified information.
A federal grand jury in Maryland charged Bolton Thursday with eight counts of transmission of national defense information and 10 counts of unlawful retention of that information.
Prosecutors allege that the former national security adviser transmitted national defense information using his personal email or a messaging application to send sensitive documents classified as Top Secret.
The Justice Department also allege that Bolton illegally retained documents containing national defense information within his home.
Bolton denied any wrongdoing in a statement on Thursday and said the charges were politically motivated.
WASHINGTON — John Bolton entered a not guilty plea on Friday to charges of improperly handling classified material. Bolton was the national security adviser during the first term of Donald Trump before turning against him.
Eight counts of transmitting national defense information and ten counts of unlawfully retaining that information were brought against Bolton by a federal grand jury in Maryland on Thursday. He could be sentenced to three years of special release, up to ten years in prison, and a fine of $250k for each count.
According to the prosecution, the former national security adviser sent sensitive documents that were classified as Top Secret by using his personal email or a messaging app to transmit national defense information. The documents purportedly contained intelligence regarding foreign enemies, foreign policy relations, and potential attacks.
In addition, the Justice Department claims that Bolton unlawfully kept national defense-related documents in his house. These documents included information about the sources and collections used to gather statements on a foreign adversary, as well as intelligence on the leaders of an adversary.
In a statement on Thursday, Bolton said the charges were politically motivated and denied any wrongdoing. During his first term in office, he claimed, Trump sought “retribution” against him, and this continued after he attempted to stop Bolton’s book from being published prior to the 2020 election.
Bolton remarked, “I am now the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he considers his enemies with charges that were previously denied or distort the facts.”. He went on to say that the accusations center on Trump’s “severe attempt to intimidate his opponents, to ensure that he alone determines what is said about his conduct.”. “,”.
In a statement released Thursday, Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, claimed that his client had not broken any laws.
“This case’s underlying facts were looked into and settled years ago,” Lowell stated. “Parts of Amb are the source of these charges. The FBI has access to Bolton’s personal diaries from 2021 onwards, which are unclassified documents that he shared with his immediate family only. “..”.
