Former White House national security adviser John Bolton surrendered to authorities Friday and pleaded not guilty following a federal indictment. He faces accusations of unlawfully transmitting and retaining classified documents from Trump’s first term in office.
Bolton did not speak to reporters when he arrived at a federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Friday morning. Bolton’s plea comes after the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Bolton with 18 counts on Thursday.
Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.
Point phone camera here
The charges include eight counts of transferring national defense information and 10 counts of retaining national defense information. Bolton is the third critic of President Donald Trump that the DOJ has sought to prosecute.
Evidence behind the charges
The charges come after federal authorities raided his home in August and obtained documents labeled “classified” and “secret.” The DOJ alleged that the former national security adviser shared highly classified information with his wife and daughter through email.
Authorities have also suggested that classified information was exposed when operatives, who are believed to be linked to the Iranian government, hacked Bolton’s email and gained access to the information he had saved.
Who is John Bolton?
Bolton served as Trump’s national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, until the president ousted him because he “disagreed strongly” with many of his suggestions.
He also served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under former President George W. Bush.
After leaving the Trump administration, Bolton repeatedly criticized the president. He later published a book critical of Trump.
