The Justice Department is gearing up to press criminal charges against a former high-ranking national security official, and the political world is buzzing. According to NBC News, prosecutors are preparing to bring a case that could land as early as next week, depending on whether they move forward with a grand jury indictment or a faster court complaint process.
At the center of the case is 76-year-old John Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor during President Trump’s administration from 2018 to 2019. Long known as a hawkish foreign policy figure with a love for foreign entanglements and a bizarre obsession with bombing the Middle East, Bolton has spent the last few years loudly criticizing the very administration he once served, and now he finds himself in the legal crosshairs.
The charges stem from a lengthy federal investigation into whether Bolton mishandled classified documents after leaving office. FBI agents raided his Maryland home and office on August 22, hauling away computers, iPhones, hard drives, and stacks of documents. The raid was not some fishing expedition. Investigators had a warrant tied to two alleged violations of the Espionage Act of 1917, a serious federal law used against people who improperly handle national defense information.
Among the seized materials were USB drives, a binder labeled “statements and reflections to allied strikes,” and folders marked “Trump I – IV,” which sure does not sound like your average vacation photo collection. Prosecutors are also considering charges under another federal law regarding the illegal retention of classified materials.
The investigation reportedly focuses on Bolton’s 2020 book The Room Where It Happened, which the Trump administration tried to block from publication on the grounds that it contained classified material. While a federal judge allowed the book to be released, he wrote that Bolton likely “exposed his country to harm” and concluded that classified information had probably been published without proper clearance.
To make things worse for Bolton, the New York Times recently revealed that U.S. intelligence picked up chatter from a foreign spy service suggesting Bolton may have shared classified information over unsecured email servers during his time in the Trump administration. Investigators now believe some of the documents in his possession may have been accessed by a hostile foreign government.
In other words, Bolton’s “tell-all” might turn into “book him, Danno.” And for a guy who has spent years screaming about national security threats, he might want to look in the mirror.
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