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John Bolton, who previously served as President Donald Trump's national security adviser during his first administration who has since become a targeted critic of the president, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday (October 16), NBC News reports.
Bolton was indicted in federal court in Maryland where prosecutors have been investigating whether he improperly retained classified materials from Trump's first administration, with his home previously being raided by FBI agents in August.
The probe reportedly involved classified documents and was launched two years prior, however, shut down by former President Joe Biden's administration for "political reasons," a senior U.S. official confirmed to the New York Post.
Bolton had previously been accused of including classified information in his book, The Room Where It Happened, released in 2020, which Trump unsuccessfully tried to cease publication of, claiming Bolton broke an NDA signed during his employment, while the president's first-term Justice Department opened an inquiry into the book in September 2020. Trump and Bolton have since been at odds, with the latter making cable news appearances bashing the president's national security and foreign policy.
“I think he’s a bad guy, yeah, he’s a bad guy. Too bad, but that’s the way it goes,” Trump said on Thursday via NBC News, having claimed he was unaware of the indictment but called Bolton "a bad person."
The indictment of Bolton followed similar action being taken against two of Trump's other notable adversaries in former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Leticia James.
“There is one tier of justice for all Americans,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement obtained by NBC News after Bolton was charged.
“Anyone who abuses a position of power and jeopardizes our national security will be held accountable. No one is above the law,” she added.