A federal grand jury met on Wednesday to consider criminal charges against President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton, according to a report from the New York Post.
This comes after the FBI raided Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, in August. Agents were executing a search warrant in an attempt to locate classified records. Justice Department officials told the Post they’re expecting an indictment Wednesday or Thursday.
A Maryland grand jury has been reportedly hearing evidence for weeks related to claims that Bolton mishandled classified information.
Bolton is accused of using an AOL email address during intelligence collection directed at an unnamed nation, according to an affidavit reviewed last week by MSNBC.
Part of the investigation has focused on alleged notes Bolton made to himself on the AOL account about his activities as national security adviser, CNN reported Tuesday. Officials are reportedly investigating whether those messages contained classified information.
Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, has maintained his client’s innocence.
Lowell told Politico last month that the records gathered in the FBI raid were decades old and some had even been cleared for use in Bolton’s book. Lowell described them as “ordinary records” expected to be kept by a 40-year career official who served in multiple high-level roles.
“Specifically, the documents with classification markings from the period 1998-2006 date back to Amb. Bolton’s time in the George W. Bush Administration,” Lowell added. “An objective and thorough review will show nothing inappropriate was stored or kept by Amb. Bolton.”
Ever since Trump fired Bolton in 2019, the former national security adviser has been an outspoken critic of the president, even calling him “unfit” for office. In 2020, he published The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir, a scathing account of his experience working under Trump.
Bolton formerly served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under former President George W. Bush. He’s also held several roles across the Justice Department and State Department.
The Independent has contacted Bolton’s attorney and the Justice Department for comment.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
