The former national security adviser of the first Donald Trump administration, John Bolton, was indicted by a federal grand jury this Thursday on charges related to his handling of classified documents from the U.S. government.
The residence where Bolton lived and other properties under his name had already been searched by federal authorities in August, indicating that the former adviser was under investigation for his handling of classified materials. During that raid, FBI agents seized several government documents.
According to the Democratic network CNN, Bolton shared highly classified information with his wife and daughter from his time at the White House as an official in the Trump administration, before he became a commentator and one of the fiercest critics of the Republican leader.
El antitrumpista John Bolton fue imputado por su manejo indebido de documentos clasificados
Bolton compromised national security
Concerns about Bolton's handling of classified information arose in 2020, when he published a book after having a dispute with Trump that led him to leave the administration. A copy of this book was leaked to The New York Times, even though the White House told him not to publish it until the classified information had been removed.
Having published the book anyway, a federal judge ruled that Bolton likely compromised national security with this action, but refused to halt its distribution because thousands of copies had already been printed and shipped before its release in 2020.
Trump, when he returned to the Oval Office this year, demonstrated that he hadn't forgotten this betrayal and revoked Bolton's national security clearance. Regarding the arrest and indictment of his former adviser, the president simply described him as "a bad person," without commenting on the charges against him.
Bolton, known for his interventionist ideals and his work during the presidency of George W. Bush, had been called to join Trump's administration to intimidate North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. But he was quickly dismissed by the New York magnate due to his ambition for the United States to go to war with its adversaries.
El antitrumpista John Bolton fue imputado por su manejo indebido de documentos clasificados
