Trump's Former National Security Advisor John Bolton Indicted Amid Wave of Charges Against Presidential Critics

John Bolton, Donald Trump's former national security advisor, was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury, marking the third adversary of the US president to face criminal charges in recent weeks.

The 76-year-old seasoned diplomat has been under extended investigation regarding his handling of classified information.

When asked about Bolton's indictment, Trump told reporters at the White House, "I think he's a bad guy. That's the way it goes," adding that his former aide is a "bad person."

Bolton's indictment follows recent criminal charges brought by the Trump Justice Department against two other notable critics of the Republican president - New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI director James Comey.

The 66-year-old James was indicted by a Virginia grand jury on October 9 on charges of bank fraud and making false statements related to a property purchase in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2020.

James, who successfully prosecuted Trump for financial fraud, has dismissed the charges as "baseless" and characterized them as "political retribution" by the president.

Comey, 64, entered a not guilty plea on October 8 to charges of making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

His attorney has indicated plans to seek dismissal of the case, arguing it represents vindictive and selective prosecution.

Trump recently publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi via social media to take action against James, Comey, and others he considers political enemies, escalating his campaign against such opponents.

Though Trump did not specifically mention Bolton in the Truth Social post, he has previously criticized his former advisor and revoked his security detail shortly after taking office in January.

A consistent critic of the Iranian regime, Bolton has maintained a hawkish national security stance and has received death threats from Tehran.

As part of the Bolton investigation, FBI agents conducted raids on both his Maryland suburban home and Washington office in August.

Bolton served as Trump's national security advisor during his first term and later angered the administration by publishing a highly critical book, "The Room Where it Happened."

Since then, he has become a highly visible and confrontational critic of Trump, frequently appearing in television news programs and print media to condemn the man he has described as "unfit to be president."

Since assuming office in January, Trump has implemented various punitive measures against perceived enemies, removing government officials deemed disloyal, targeting law firms involved in previous cases against him, and withdrawing federal funding from universities.

After Trump's White House departure in 2021, James brought a significant civil fraud case against him, alleging that he and his real estate company had inflated his wealth and manipulated property values to obtain favorable bank loans or insurance terms.

A New York state judge ordered Trump to pay $464 million, but a higher court removed the financial penalty while upholding the underlying judgment.

The cases against James and Comey were filed by Trump's handpicked US attorney, Lindsey Halligan, after the previous prosecutor resigned, stating insufficient evidence to charge them.

Comey, appointed to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation by then-president Barack Obama in 2013, was dismissed by Trump in 2017 during the investigation into whether any Trump presidential campaign members had colluded with Moscow to influence the 2016 election.