John Bolton, former Trump national security adviser dey indicted on federal charges

Dem don criminally indict John Bolton wey bin serve as Donald Trump national security adviser bifor e become loud critic of di president on federal charges.

Di Department of Justice bin present di case to one grand jury for Maryland on Thursday, 16 October, and dem agree say enough evidence dey ground to indict Bolton, wey don issue statement to claim say im dey innocent.

Dis dey come afta FBI agents search Bolton house and office for August as part of one investigation into di way e take handle classified information.

Di indictment make 76-year-old Bolton, di third US president political opponents to face charges in recent weeks.

E fit face many years in prison.

Wetin be di charges?

According to one 26-page indictment wey dem file for one court for Greenbelt, Maryland, on Thursday, Bolton dey charged wit eight counts of transmission of national defence information (NDI) and 10 counts of unlawful retention of NDI.

Prosecutors accuse am say e illegally share top secret information about US national defence wit im personal email and oda messaging apps.

"Dis documents reveal intelligence about future attacks, foreign adversaries, and foreign-policy relations," di court papers tok

If found guilty, Bolton fit face up to 10 years in prison for each charge. E dey expected to surrender to authorities on Friday.

"No one is above di law," US Attorney General Pam Bondi tok for statement wey announce di charges.

Bolton tpk for statement say e look forward to defending im "lawful conduct" in court as e accuse Trump of seeking "retribution against me".

"Now, I don become di latest target in weaponizing di Justice Department to charge those e [Trump] see as im enemies with charges wey bin dey declined before or tamper with di facts," Bolton tok.

Bolton lawyer, Abbe Lowell, say di charges come from diary entries wey im client keep over im 45-year career for public service.

"Like many public officials throughout history, Amb Bolton keep diaries – dat no be crime," Mr Lowell tok.

E bin describe di records as "unclassified, wey e share only wit im immediate family, and e dey known to di FBI as far back as 2021".

According to CNN, dem allege say Bolton share di information wit im wife and daughter.

Di unauthorised information include "diary-like entries from Bolton time as di National Security Advisor" and allegedly e dey "printed and stored" for Bolton house for Bethesda, Maryland.

Trump fire Bolton during im first administration for 2019. Im 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, tok about im time wen e dey work under Trump and e portray am as president wey dey ill-informed about geopolitics.

Di White House bin file one lawsuit to block di book make e no dey published, as dem argue say e contain classified information and e no dey properly vetted.

One judge deny di request and dem release di book days later.

Di US Department of Justice later open investigation to torchlight weda Bolton mishandle classified information by disclosing certain information for di book.

Wen dem ask Trump about di indictment on Thursday for di White House, e say im no know anytin about am but add say Bolton na "bad guy".

Bolton, wey serve as George W Bush UN ambassador, dey among former officials wey dey critical of Trump wey dem remove dia Secret Service protection for January.

E be di third Trump critic wey go face criminal charges since September.

Dem indict New York City Attorney General Letitia James on bank fraud charges for October.

Dem charge former FBI director James Comey for late September on top accuse say e lie give Congress.

Dem file di cases afta Trump ask di US attorney general to prosecute im political opponents.

"We no fit delay any longer, e dey kill our reputation and credibility," e write on social media.

Bolton, wey Trump sack from im first administration for 2019, na vocal critic of di president



"Dat's di way it goes", Trump tok on John Bolton indictment



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