The Justice Department is planning to seek a grand jury's criminal indictment against former National Security Adviser John Bolton, a major critic of President Donald Trump, according to multiple media reports.
If criminal charges come, they would mark the latest in a string of prosecutions against Trump's perceived enemies. Reuters and CBS News, among other outlets, reported on the plan to seek charges as soon as Oct. 16, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The Justice Department and a lawyer for Bolton didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
The potential prosecution comes after federal law enforcement said in court filings that they obtained documents labeled "classified," "secret" and "confidential" during an August search of Bolton's office.
Bolton served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under former President George W. Bush and was a national security adviser to Trump during his first administration.
In the years since serving under Trump, Bolton became a fierce critic of the president. In 2020, Bolton told USA TODAY that he "probably would have" convicted Trump if he had been a senator during the president's first impeachment trial. Trump was accused in that trial of abusing power by withholding aid to Ukraine to pressure its government to investigate then-former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. The Senate acquitted Trump on that charge, largely along party lines.
