**Former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton Indicted on 18 Counts Related to Classified Documents**
John Bolton, former National Security Adviser under President Donald Trump, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Maryland on 18 counts related to the mishandling of classified materials. This development makes him the latest Trump critic to face federal charges in recent weeks.
While the exact charges remain under seal, late Thursday press reports suggest the indictment includes 18 counts involving the improper handling of classified documents.
At a White House press conference Thursday afternoon, President Trump responded to the news by repeatedly calling Mr. Bolton a “bad person,” though he insisted that he was not closely following the case. “I think he’s a bad person,” Trump said. “That’s the way it goes.”
This indictment comes just months after the FBI conducted early-morning raids at Bolton’s home in Bethesda and his Washington office searching for classified documents. During the August 22 raid, federal agents recovered records labeled “confidential” and “classified,” including documents referencing weapons of mass destruction, diplomatic travel memos, and records related to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, according to court filings.
Bolton has maintained that his 2020 memoir, *The Room Where It Happened*, did not contain any classified material. His lawyers have stated that Bolton proceeded with publishing the book only after a National Security Council official reviewed it and confirmed it contained no classified information.
President Trump had attempted to block the memoir’s publication, accusing Bolton of including classified details that could compromise national security. However, Bolton, a lifelong diplomat and advocate for the use of force in diplomacy, strongly denied these accusations. Speaking last month at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, he asserted, “I’m very confident that there’s nothing in the book that’s classified.”
Separately, the Justice Department has recently secured indictments against other prominent figures, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, on charges of making false statements to Congress and bank fraud, respectively.
Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell—who is also representing Attorney General James—stated that the recovered documents were “cleared for his client’s use.” Lowell added, “These are the kinds of ordinary records, many of which are 20 years old or more, that would be kept by a 40-year career official.”
Recently, the Justice Department’s investigation focused on Bolton’s use of an AOL email account to store summaries and notes from his tenure as Trump’s security adviser. Investigators sought to determine whether any of those notes contained classified information.
*The Room Where It Happened* was a No. 1 *New York Times* bestseller and one of the most successful Trump tell-alls, selling 780,000 copies in its first week. In the book, Bolton delivered a scathing critique of President Trump, portraying him as gullible and easily swayed by flattery from foreign strongmen—a characterization that reportedly infuriated the president, especially since the book earned Bolton significant sums.
In recent weeks, Lindsey Halligan—the former defense attorney for Trump and interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia—advanced criminal charges against Comey and James. Halligan took over from her predecessor, Erik Siebert, who was forced out amid Trump’s objections to Siebert’s strong support from Virginia’s two Democratic senators.
ABC News also reported that Siebert had been hesitant to press charges against Attorney General James, citing insufficient evidence that a crime had been committed.
This is a developing story. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
https://www.nysun.com/article/trump-justice-department-secures-maryland-grand-jury-indictment-of-former-trump-national-security-advisor-john-bolton
