Trump’s reaction to Bolton’s indictment.
US President Donald Trump criticized the indictment of Bolton on Thursday evening, saying: “I think he’s a bad guy. He’s a bad guy.”
The US president continued: “That’s how it goes. Right?”
The US attorney general’s office has formally charged John Bolton, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, with possession and misuse of classified documents.
Bloomberg, citing an unnamed person with knowledge of the matter, said that a grand jury in Maryland has indicted Bolton for possessing classified documents.
The indictment, filed in Maryland federal court, charges Bolton with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and ten counts of illegally retaining national defense information. Each of these charges could carry up to 10 years in prison if convicted, but the sentence will be determined by the judge’s discretion and various factors.
CNN also confirmed the news, citing two sources familiar with the matter. Bolton is the third prominent critic of the US president to be prosecuted, after New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
The FBI searched Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington office 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 documents.”
Bolton’s lawyer has repeatedly said in response to the investigation that the classified documents held by Bolton date back to the George W. Bush administration, when Bolton served as US ambassador to the United Nations, and are essentially typical of documents held by a senior government official.