Trump critic and former National Security Advisor John Bolton will be indicted soon, sources say
WASHINGTON — John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser turned prominent Trump critic, is expected to be charged with federal crimes soon, according to federal officials familiar with the investigation.
One official said Bolton could be charged next week. The other said he might be charged soon.
Charges will be brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland, where Bolton lives, officials said. The development was first reported by MSNBC.
Bolton’s attorney, Abby Lowell, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to discuss matters related to the grand jury.
“As a matter of law, we will not discuss any grand jury matters with the media, but the Department of Justice is united as a team in our mission to make America safe again,” the spokesperson said. “The Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, along with the entire team at Main Justice, continue to empower our U.S. Attorneys to pursue justice in every case.”
The FBI conducted searches of Bolton’s home in Maryland and his office in Washington, D.C., in August. A source familiar with the matter told NBC News at the time that the searches were part of a “national security investigation looking for classified records.”
Lowell, Bolton’s lawyer, has repeatedly said that classified documents kept by Bolton date back to the George W. Bush administration, when Bolton served as US ambassador to the United Nations, and would be typical of those kept by a long-time government employee.
CIA information prompted the search
The source said that CIA Director John Ratcliffe provided intelligence information to FBI Director Kash Patel that was the basis of the search warrant. Bolton served as one of Trump’s national security advisers in his first term before his controversial exit.
The source said at the time that the searches focused on Bolton’s handling of classified materials and potential instances of such documents being used in leaks to news media. They added that the matter is related to a criminal investigation that began during the Biden administration.
Search warrant affidavits related to the searches released last month cited possible violations of the Espionage Act, including collecting or sharing national defense information without authorization, and unauthorized possession of classified materials.
Trump publicly called for Bolton’s impeachment in June 2020 after the then-former national security adviser wrote an unflattering book about his experience working for Trump.
“He released massive amounts of classified, but confidential, information. It’s illegal, and you’re going to go to prison for it,” Trump said. Fox News In an interview afterwards.
Bolton confirmed that he fulfilled his legal obligations and obtained it A message from a National Security Council official In 2020, she said that the book does not contain classified materials.
Trump was indicted in 2023 on charges of mishandling top-secret documents and obstructing efforts to recover them after he left office. But federal Judge Eileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed the charges in 2024.
Trump’s most prominent critics
Bolton has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s policy, especially regarding foreign policy related to Russia, in the years since. Bolton also continued to criticize Trump’s foreign policy after the inspections.
Trump has done so over and over again Bolton criticized They also described him as “low” and “stupid” among other things.
Days into Trump’s second term, the president canceled Bolton’s Secret Service detail, even though he was the target of an alleged murder-for-hire plot by a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Bolton will be the third Trump critic to face criminal charges since late September.
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted in late September on charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing investigations. New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted on charges of bank fraud on Thursday.
Both indictments followed a September 20 post on the website Truth Social, in which Trump urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against them, as well as against Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
“They are all guilty, but nothing will be done,” the post read. “We can’t delay any longer.”
An administration official told NBC News that the public release was supposed to be sent to Bondi as a direct message.
Comey has pleaded not guilty and James has denied any wrongdoing.