Washington, 17 October (H.S.): John Bolton, who served as National Security Adviser in the first Trump administration, has been criminally indicted on 18 federal counts related to the mishandling of classified documents. A federal grand jury in Maryland charged Bolton with eight counts of unlawful transmission of national defense information and ten counts of unlawful retention of such data, with each charge carrying a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

The indictment alleges that Bolton used personal email and messaging accounts to illegally transmit top-secret information, including diary-like entries, to unauthorized individuals, reported to be his wife and daughter. Prosecutors state these documents contained sensitive intelligence regarding foreign adversaries and U.S. foreign policy.

The investigation, which included an FBI search of Bolton’s home in August, revealed that he retained classified documents at his residence.

According to the indictment, one of Bolton’s personal email accounts used to transmit this information was later hacked by actors associated with Iran.

In a public statement, Bolton vehemently denied any wrongdoing, asserting he is the latest target in President Trump’s weaponizing the Justice Department for political retribution. His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, stated the charges stem from personal diaries that were unclassified and only shared with immediate family. When asked about the indictment, President Trump said he was unaware of it but referred to Bolton as a bad guy.

Bolton, 76, is the third prominent critic of President Trump to face federal charges in recent weeks, following the indictments of New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey. The investigation into Bolton originated from the publication of his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, which the Trump administration had unsuccessfully tried to block, citing the inclusion of classified information.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar