Former National Security Adviser John R. Bolton turned himself in at a federal court in Maryland to answer an indictment that charges him with mishandling classified information.
Mr. Bolton did not speak to the media as he entered the Greenbelt courthouse on Friday morning.
President Trump’s former adviser-turned-critic faces an arraignment on an 18-count indictment alleging he illegally transmitted national defense information, or NDI, and illegally retained NDI documents in his home.
The grand jury handed up a bill Thursday charging him with eight counts of transmission of NDI and 10 counts of unlawful retention of NDI.
If convicted, he faces up to 180 years in prison – a maximum of 10 years for each count — but he likely won’t get the maximum sentence if found guilty.
Mr. Bolton served as national security adviser to Mr. Trump during the president’s first term.
SEE ALSO: John Bolton indicted for mishandling classified government materials
The pair had a falling out, with Mr. Trump describing Mr. Bolton as a war-monger, and Mr. Bolton frequently criticizes Mr. Trump on television.
Mr. Bolton raised suspicions when he submitted a tell-all book to the government for a national security review in 2019.
The book contained a level of detail related to secret information, so government officials wanted to know if Mr. Bolton retained notes or other material in violation of the law.
The Justice Department, in Mr. Trump’s first term, sued Mr. Bolton and launched a criminal probe into whether he unlawfully disclosed classified information in the book, which was a scathing critique of the administration.
President Biden’s Justice Department dropped the lawsuit and grand jury investigation in 2021. Mr. Bolton has long professed his innocence and claimed the probe was an example of Mr. Trump using the Justice Department to attack his perceived enemies.
“The underlying facts in this case were investigated and resolved years ago,” Mr. Bolton’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said late Thursday. “These charges stem from portions of Ambassador Bolton’s personal diaries over his 45-year career – records that are unclassified, shared only with his immediate family, and known to the FBI as far back as 2021.”
Since returning to the White House, Mr. Trump has targeted his most vocal critics, including Democrats and law firms that sued his first administration and were involved in lawsuits and investigations, especially with what he calls the Russia hoax, against him and his allies.
Earlier this year, Mr. Trump revoked Mr. Bolton’s Secret Service protection.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the indictment proved there is “one tier of justice for all Americans.”
