John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, has pleaded not guilty to charges of mishandling classified information.
The 18 charges stem from allegations that he shared or possessed some sensitive material classified as top secret. He entered the plea at a federal court hearing Friday after surrendering to authorities.
Bolton served in Trump’s first administration, but had a contentious break with the White House and has become one of the president’s most vocal public critics.
The indictment makes Bolton, 76, the third political opponent of the U.S. president to be indicted in recent weeks. Bolton said he would defend his “lawful actions”.
Bolton did not respond to a barrage of questions from reporters as he entered the Greenbelt, Maryland, courthouse to surrender to authorities on Friday.
The BBC’s US partner CBS News reported that he is expected to make his first appearance before a judge and may have to stop at the US Marshal’s office for a “possible” fingerprinting and booking photo.
Prosecutors accused Bolton of using private messaging apps and email to illegally transmit sensitive information.
“These documents contain information about future attacks, foreign enemies, and foreign policy relationships,” prosecutors wrote.
Bolton said he would defend his “lawful conduct” in response to the charges.
He added: “He is the latest target of Trump’s weaponization of the Justice Department to prosecute those he views as his enemies on previously denied charges or to distort the facts.”
The indictment issued this week accuses Bolton of sharing “diary-like entries” with two unnamed people and using his personal email account to send messages containing sensitive material.
The indictment also states that between 2019 and 2021, Bolton was reportedly the target of hacking attacks from “cyber actors believed to be associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” whose accounts were accessed and confidential material exposed.
Bolton’s attorney, Abe Lowell, said: “Like many public officials throughout history, Ambassador Bolton kept a diary. It is not a crime.”
Lowell explained that the records in question were “non-classified, shared only with immediate family members, and have been known to the FBI since 2021.”
In the American judicial system, an indictment is a formal indictment issued by a grand jury, a group of members of the public assembled by a prosecutor to review evidence to decide whether to proceed with the case.
Bolton has been under close scrutiny for his handling of classified information since 2020, when he attempted to publish a book about his time in Trump’s first administration.
The Justice Department attempted to block the release of the book, claiming it may contain classified information.
A federal judge ruled against the government but criticized Bolton for his decision, saying he was “gambling with America’s national security.”
The investigation into Bolton continued into the Joe Biden administration, but did not lead to indictments.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation searched Bolton’s home and office last August and announced an active investigation.
Trump frequently attacked Bolton on social media and criticized him in public statements.
Bolton releases his book in 2020 When it was published, the president said the book “illegally disclosed a lot of classified information” and called his former advisers “lowlifes who should be locked up in prison.”
After taking office, President Trump canceled protections for Bolton’s security detail and several other political opponents this year.
Bolton’s indictment comes after Trump’s Justice Department filed criminal charges against two of his political opponents: former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
