Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton has been indicted on 18 criminal counts for allegedly mishandling classified information.

The charges, brought under the Espionage Act, accuse Bolton of systematically retaining “top secret” documents at his home and office and transmitting over 1,000 pages of sensitive, diary-like notes to his relatives via personal email.

A critical element of the indictment alleges this improperly stored material was subsequently compromised in a cyberattack by an actor linked to Iran. Bolton, a prominent foreign policy hawk and former Trump adviser turned vocal critic, has pleaded not guilty, denouncing the charges as a politically motivated weaponization of the Justice Department by Donald Trump to intimidate his enemies.

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