John Bolton, a former national security adviser for President Donald Trump's first term in the White House, appeared in a Maryland federal court on Friday after he was indicted by the Justice Department for allegedly mishandling classified information. Bolton faces 18 federal counts.

Maryland

John Bolton, former National Security Advisor and UN ambassador, has made his first court appearance following a federal indictment. He is accused of storing top secret records and sharing classified information with relatives who did not have security clearance. The indictment alleges Bolton transcribed notes from secure White House meetings and sent them via email and encrypted group chats. Some of the documents reportedly contained sensitive details about foreign intelligence operations and covert US actions. Bolton has denied the allegations, calling the prosecution politically motivated. If convicted, he could face significant prison time, with each Espionage Act count carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years.

John Bolton reacts to DOJ indictment

and breaking news at this hour. Former Trump National Security advisor and UN ambassador John Bolton made his first court appearance just a short time ago. It comes one day after his federal indictment was handed down. Bolton is accused of storing top secret records and sharing notes with relatives that contained classified information. He was seen leaving his home earlier today before making his first court appearance. He says his prosecution by the Trump Justice Department is politically motivated in a statement that was released after the indictment. Bolton said, in part, I have become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts. These charges are not just about his focus on me or my diaries, but his intensive efforts to intimidate his opponents. I want to bring in CBS News Homeland Security Correspondent Nicole Skanga. Nicole, thank you for your time today. Can you take us through what Bolton is being accused of? And what can we expect in this case? Yeah, prosecutors say Bolton created a diary like record, daily notes, reflections, and according to this hefty indictment, he routinely transcribed handwritten notes from secure White House meetings into word files and then emailed them or message them to two relatives. Neither relative had a security clearance or any authorization for that matter to receive classified information and one of those relatives, according to the indictment, and one of those relatives, according to the court documents, set up an encrypted group chat which was used to share some of this information. Many of the documents included details of foreign intelligence operations, US covert actions, and even sensitive signals. Even human intelligence sources. Top secret stuff. Some examples, a document sent in September of 2018 showed intelligence about a future attack by a US adversary in another country and a document in U.S. Document in January 2019 showed plans for a foreign missile launch, according to the indictment. And Nicole, there's been a lot of comparison to the case against James Comey and Letitia James. Can you walk us through how this one may be different from those? Yeah, Comey was charged with making false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding relating to testimony he made back in 2020 about a leak to the news media. He's pleaded not guilty in that case. In James's case, they there was a claim that she was charged with falsely claiming a home in Norfolk, Virginia, as her second residence, allowing her to receive favorable loan terms. Those are criminal charges, but this is a classified documents case, and it doesn't appear on its face that the president has orchestrated it. As with the others, we can also see that this case was ultimately brought by experienced prosecutors. There are other tea leaves suggesting that this case is a little bit more substantial here, including that federal judge who greenlit the search of his home, Bolton's home, and also his office back in August of this year. If convicted on all counts, Bolton could face decades in prison. I mean, each Espionage Act count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years. Wow, we'll see how it plays out. It goes skanga. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you.

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Portland

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Washington

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

Middle East Conflict

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Windsor

Prince Andrew gives up title of Duke of York

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Greenbelt

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Beijing

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Chicago

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Breakdown