Special report: Former national security adviser John Bolton indicted

Indictment Details - John Bolton, former National Security Advisor to Donald Trump, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Maryland on two charges: transmission of national defense information and retention of national defense information [42][43] - There are 18 counts related to these offenses, suggesting multiple documents are involved [53] - The indictment describes documents revealing intelligence about future attacks by an adversarial group in another country and liaison partners sharing sensitive information with the US intelligence community [56] - The indictment is 26 pages long [59] Legal and Procedural Aspects - The investigation into Bolton began under the first Trump administration, continued into the Biden administration, was dropped, and then reopened in the second Trump term [15][17] - A judge found probable cause to issue a search warrant for Bolton's home, indicating a belief that a crime had been committed [16] - The Justice Department has experience with classified documents investigations across multiple administrations [29][30] - The standard for prosecutors in these cases is to determine the person's intent and level of knowing, distinguishing between incidental mishandling and deliberate actions [34][35] Political Context - Bolton's indictment is the third against individuals described as political adversaries of President Trump [5] - President Trump publicly called for the Justice Department to investigate several individuals, including Bolton [6] - Legal experts suggest that the indictments align with President Trump's campaign promises of retribution [60][62] - The president has publicly expressed negative opinions about John Bolton [8]