Bolton arrives at court to surrender himself to authorities on charges in a classified information case

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — John Bolton arrived in federal court Friday to turn himself in to authorities on charges that accuse the former Trump administration national security adviser of storing top-secret records at home and sharing diary-like notes with relatives that contained classified information.

Bolton did not comment to reporters as he entered the courtroom in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he is expected to make his first appearance before a judge on the 18-count indictment against him on Thursday.

He watches: Trump advisor-turned-critic John Bolton is accused of handling classified documents

Authorities indicated that classified information was exposed when agents believed to be linked to the Iranian government hacked Bolton’s email account and gained access to sensitive materials he shared. Prosecutors say Bolton’s representative told the FBI in 2021 that his emails had been hacked, but did not reveal that Bolton shared confidential information through the account or that the hackers possessed government secrets.

The closely watched case centers on a longtime figure in GOP foreign policy circles, who became known for his hawkish views on American power and who served for more than a year in Trump’s first administration before being fired in 2019. He later published a book sharply critical of Trump.

The third case against Trump’s opponent will unfold last month against a backdrop of concerns that the Justice Department is going after the Republican president’s political enemies while simultaneously sparing his allies from scrutiny.

“Now, I have become the latest target to use the Justice Department as a weapon to indict those he considers his enemies on charges that have previously been dismissed or to distort the facts,” Bolton said in a statement.

However, the indictment is far more detailed in its allegations than previous cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Unlike those cases brought by a hastily appointed US attorney, Bolton’s indictment was signed by national security prosecutors. While Bolton’s investigation became public in August when the FBI searched his home in Maryland and his office in Washington, the investigation was well underway by the time Trump took office in January.

Share secret secrets

The indictment filed in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, alleges that between 2018 and last August, Bolton shared with two relatives more than 1,000 pages of information about his daily activities in government.

The materials included “diary-like” entries containing information classified as top secret, which he learned from meetings with other U.S. government officials, or from intelligence briefings or conversations with foreign leaders, according to the indictment. After sending one document, Bolton wrote in a letter to his relatives: “NOT TALKING ABOUT ANY OF IT!!!” “Shhhh,” a relative wrote, “Shhhh,” he wrote in response, prosecutors said.

The indictment says that among the materials shared was information about foreign adversaries that in some cases revealed details about the sources and methods used by the government to gather intelligence.

The family members were not identified in court papers, but a person familiar with the case, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss non-public details, identified them as Bolton’s wife and daughter.

The indictment also suggests that Bolton knew it was improper to share classified information with people who were not authorized to receive it, citing an April media interview in which he criticized Trump administration officials for using Signal to discuss sensitive military details. Although prosecutors aim the anecdote to show Bolton’s understanding of proper protocol for government secrets, Bolton’s legal team may also point to it to argue for a double standard in enforcement because the Justice Department is not known to have opened any investigation into the Signal ring.

“The basic facts in this case were investigated and resolved years ago,” Bolton’s attorney, Abby Lowell, said in a statement.

He said the charges stem from portions of Bolton’s personal diaries during his 45-year career in government, and included unclassified information that was shared only with his immediate family and was known to the FBI since 2021.

“Like many government officials throughout history, Bolton kept a diary — and that’s not a crime,” Lowell said. He said Bolton “did not share or store any information illegally.”

Controversy over a book

Bolton suggested the criminal case was the product of a failed Justice Department effort after he left government to block the publication of his 2020 book “The Room Where It Happened,” which portrayed Trump as blatantly misinformed on foreign policy.

The Trump administration confirmed that Bolton’s manuscript contains classified information that could harm national security if disclosed. Bolton’s lawyers said he moved forward with the book after a White House National Security Council official, with whom Bolton worked for several months, said the manuscript no longer contained classified information.

In 2018, Bolton was appointed to serve as Trump’s third national security adviser. His short term was marked by disagreements with the president over North Korea, Iran, and Ukraine. These disagreements ultimately led to Bolton’s departure.

Bolton later criticized Trump’s approach to foreign policy and government in his book, including by claiming that Trump directly linked military aid to Ukraine to that country’s willingness to conduct investigations into Joe Biden, Trump’s soon-to-be Democratic rival in the 2020 election, and members of the Biden family.

Trump responded by criticizing Bolton as a “washed-up man” and a “crazy warmonger” who would lead the country into “World War VI.”

Durkin Richer reported from Washington.