WASHINGTON — John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser who became a prominent Trump critic, is expected to be charged with federal crimes soon, two federal officials familiar with the investigation said.
One of the officials said Bolton could be indicted next week. The other person said he may face charges soon.
Officials said the charges will be filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland, where Bolton lives. The development was first reported by MSNBC.
Mr. Bolton’s attorney, Abby Lowell, did not respond to a request for comment.
A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to discuss issues related to the grand jury.
“As a matter of law, we do not discuss grand jury matters with the media, but the Department of Justice is united as one team in our mission to make America safe again,” the spokesperson said. “And the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, and the entire team at Maine Justice continue to empower America’s prosecutors to pursue justice in every case.”
The FBI raided Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office in August. A person familiar with the matter told NBC News at the time that the search was part of a “national security investigation seeking classified records.”
Mr. Bolton’s lawyer, Mr. Lowell, has repeatedly said that the documents with security markings in Mr. Bolton’s possession date back to the George W.
Search by CIA information
CIA Director John Ratcliffe provided FBI Director Kash Patel with information on which to base the search warrant, sources said. Bolton served as one of President Trump’s national security advisers during his first term before leaving office amid controversy.
The search focused on Mr. Bolton’s handling of classified materials and instances in which such documents may have been used to leak them to the press, officials said at the time. It also added that the case is related to a criminal investigation that began during the Biden administration.
A search warrant affidavit related to the investigation released last month cited possible violations of the Espionage Act, including collecting and sharing national defense information without authorization and illegally possessing classified material.
Trump publicly called for Bolton’s prosecution in June 2020 after the then-former national security adviser wrote an unflattering book about his experience working for Trump.
“He released a ton of secret, highly classified information, which is illegal, and he’s going to go to jail for it,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News at the time.
Mr. Bolton maintains that he fulfilled his legal obligations and claimed in 2020 that he obtained a letter from National Security Council officials saying the book contained no classified material.
Trump was indicted in 2023 on charges of mishandling classified documents after leaving office and obstructing efforts to retrieve them. However, federal judge Eileen Cannon, appointed by President Trump, dismissed the charges in 2024.
Famous Trump Critic
Mr. Bolton has since been an outspoken critic of President Trump, particularly regarding foreign policy involving Russia. Bolton continued to criticize President Trump’s foreign policy even after the raid.
Mr. Trump has also repeatedly criticized Mr. Bolton, calling him a “scumbag” and a “stupid.”
Days into Trump’s second term, the president revoked Bolton’s Secret Service detail, even though he was the target of a murder-for-hire plot by members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Bolton becomes the third Trump critic to face criminal charges since late September.
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted in late September on charges of lying and obstructing Congress. New York State Attorney General Letitia James was indicted Thursday on bank fraud charges.
Both of these charges were made after a Sept. 20 Truth Social post in which President Trump urged action against Attorney General Pam Bondi and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
“They are all guilty of extreme crimes, but nothing will be done about them,” the post said. “We can’t delay it any longer.”
Administration officials told NBC News that the public post was to be sent as a direct message to Bondi.
Mr. Comey has maintained his innocence, and Mr. James has denied wrongdoing.
