DOJ to seek indictment against Trump aide-turned-critic Bolton over classified docs: Reports

The Department of Justice reportedly plans to seek a criminal indictment against former National Security Adviser John R. Bolton over allegations he unlawfully retained classified information.

Prosecutors could present the case to a grand jury at a federal courthouse in Maryland as soon as this week, according to CBS News, which reported the development alongside Reuters and other outlets.

Mr. Bolton served in the White House’s inner national security circle during President Trump’s first term.

Yet Mr. Trump soured on Mr. Bolton, saying he was war hungry, and Mr. Bolton frequently criticized the president on the airwaves.

FBI agents in August raided Mr. Bolton’s office and his home in Bethesda, Maryland, as part of a probe into classified documents.

Agents who applied for the search warrant said they were looking for evidence related to at least two statutes: conspiracy to gather, transmit or lose national defense information in violation of the Espionage Act; and removing or retaining classified information without permission.

The Washington Times reached out to a spokesman for Mr. Bolton’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, for comment on reports that prosecutors would seek an indictment.

Earlier court filings recounted how Mr. Bolton raised suspicions when he submitted a tell-all book to the government for a national security review in 2019.

The book contained a level of detail related to secret information, so government officials wanted to know if Mr. Bolton retained notes or other material in violation of the law.

The Justice Department, in Mr. Trump’s first term, sued Mr. Bolton and launched a criminal probe into whether he unlawfully disclosed classified information in the book, which was a scathing critique of the administration.

President Biden’s Justice Department dropped the lawsuit and grand jury investigation in 2021. Mr. Bolton has long professed his innocence and claimed the probe was an example of Mr. Trump using the Justice Department to attack his perceived enemies.  

Since returning to the White House, Mr. Trump has targeted his most vocal critics, including Democrats and law firms that sued his first administration and were involved in lawsuits and investigations, especially with what he calls the Russia hoax, into him and his allies.

Earlier this year, Mr. Trump revoked Mr. Bolton’s Secret Service protection.