US Justice Department to seek grand jury indictment of ex-Trump NSA John Bolton

From friend to foe

Bolton served as US ambassador to the United Nations as well as White House national security adviser during Trump’s first term before emerging as one of the president’s most vocal critics. He described Trump as unfit to be president in a memoir he released last year.

Bolton’s lawyer Abbe Lowell, had previously denied that Bolton engaged in wrongdoing.

Senior leaders at the US Justice Department had been pushing for swift charges against Bolton, despite initial concern from some line prosecutors in Maryland, as well as attorneys in the National Security Division who felt more investigation was needed and feared the case was being rushed.

Recently, prosecutors concluded that they were comfortable proceeding after taking more time to review the evidence and worked over the weekend to prepare the case.

FBI raided Bolton in August

In August, FBI agents had conducted searches of Bolton’s home and office seeking evidence of possible violations of the Espionage Act.

The agents found documents labelled “confidential” in Bolton’s Washington, DC office that referenced weapons of mass destruction, unsealed court records show.

In his Maryland home, agents seized two cell phones, documents in folders labelled “Trump I-IV” and a binder labelled “statements and reflections to Allied Strikes,” according to court documents.

According to the law, it is a crime to remove, retain, or transmit national defence records.

Trump was indicted under Espionage Act

Trump himself was previously indicted on Espionage Act violations for allegedly transporting classified records to his Florida home after departing the White House in 2021 and refusing repeated requests by the government to return them. Trump had pleaded not guilty, and that case was dropped after he won re-election in November 2024.

Trump using Justice Department to target opponents

If the grand jury decides to indict Bolton, it would mark the third time in recent weeks that the Justice Department has secured criminal charges against one of the Republican president’s critics.

Ever since his re-election, Trump has been accused of using the government and various agencies to target opponents.

In recent months, he actively pushed Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Justice Department to bring charges against his perceived adversaries.

One of the most high-profile instances is the recent indictment of former FBI director James Comey, who investigated Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Comey, whom Trump fired in 2017, has pleaded not guilty to charges of making false statements to Congress and obstruction of Congress.

Last week, the Justice Department also indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James, who previously brought a civil fraud case against Trump and his family real estate company.

James is facing charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, allegations which she has denied.