John Bolton, the national security hawk and former adviser to Donald Trump who has become one of the US president’s biggest critics, pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges of mishandling classified information.
Bolton, who was indicted on Thursday, is the third of Trump’s prominent critics to face prosecution in recent weeks, as the US president dispenses with decades-long norms designed to insulate federal law enforcement from political pressures.
Bolton did not speak with reporters as he arrived at the courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, to surrender.
“Not guilty, your honour,” Bolton, 76, said in court. He was released on his own recognisance and a hearing in the case is scheduled for November 21.
The indictment alleges that Bolton shared sensitive information with two of his relatives for possible use in a book he was writing, including notes on intelligence briefings and meetings with senior government officials and foreign leaders.
Bolton’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said Bolton did not unlawfully share or store any information.
Trump, a Republican who campaigned for the presidency on a vow of retribution after facing a slew of legal woes once his first term in the White House ended in 2021, has actively pressured his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to bring charges against his perceived adversaries.
That included pushing the Justice Department to bring charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, even driving out a prosecutor he deemed to be moving too slowly in doing so.
Bolton served as White House national security adviser during Trump’s first term, before emerging as one of the president’s most vocal critics.
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