On Thursday, John Bolton, a former National Security Adviser under President Trump, found himself in hot water as he was indicted in Maryland for mishandling classified information.
This marks Bolton as the third significant figure who has criticized Trump to face legal issues in recent times. When reporters asked the former president about Bolton’s indictment, he claimed he was unaware of the specifics but remarked, “I think he’s a bad guy.”
According to the 26-page indictment, Bolton is facing 18 criminal charges, which include eight counts related to transmitting national defense information and ten for retaining such information improperly.
The indictment alleges that Bolton misused his role as National Security Advisor by sharing over a thousand pages of sensitive information regarding his daily operations with two relatives whose identities remain undisclosed. This included information classified as top secret.
Furthermore, he is accused of using personal email accounts from providers like AOL and Google to disseminate classified information that reached top secret and Sensitive Compartmented Information levels, meaning the information originated from sensitive intelligence channels. Reports also indicate that he physically printed many of these entries, keeping them in his Maryland residence.
Between 2019 and 2021, the indictment states, Bolton’s email was reportedly compromised by a “cyber actor” believed to be tied to Iran. It notes that while Bolton informed federal authorities about the hack, he did not disclose that classified information had been present in his account or that he had shared any details with his relatives.
Additionally, he’s faced accusations of printing and securely storing some national defense information entries at his home in Montgomery County, Maryland. Prosecutors claim that parts of this information were also found saved on personal devices belonging to both Bolton and others residing with him.
The entries in Bolton’s diary supposedly included extensive details from discussions with senior U.S. Government officials, intelligence briefings, exchanges with foreign leaders, and military-related communications.
In intriguing snippets from messages he allegedly sent, Bolton discussed the diary entries with family members, expressing, “Stuff coming to cheer you… up!!!” in reference to a 20-page document.
This news is just breaking, and more updates will follow.
