Particle.news
Download on the App Store

John Bolton Indicted on 18 Counts for Alleged Retention and Transmission of Classified Material

Career national-security prosecutors brought the case following a 2022 investigation.

Overview

  • An indictment returned on Oct. 17 charges Bolton with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and ten counts of retaining it, according to The Hill.
  • Prosecutors allege he sent classified material to two family members using personal devices and accounts and kept sensitive documents at his home.
  • The filing states some of the information at issue was later stolen by Iranian-linked hackers who accessed Bolton’s personal email after his 2019 White House departure.
  • Federal agents searched Bolton’s residence in August and seized smartphones, folders and USB drives under a court-authorized warrant.
  • Bolton denies wrongdoing and calls the case political retaliation by President Trump, while the attorney general and FBI director emphasize accountability and the national-security risks described in the indictment.