An FBI affidavit made public on Friday disclosed that John Bolton, who served as national security adviser, allegedly relied on a personal email account that was compromised by a “foreign entity.”
The 41-page affidavit, which federal authorities used to secure approval for searching Bolton’s residence in Maryland last month, indicated that the hacking incident raised suspicions that the onetime Trump administration official mishandled classified material.
According to earlier reports from The Post, Bolton is accused of transmitting “highly sensitive” government files to relatives via his personal account while still working inside the White House.
“Hack of Bolton AOL Account by Foreign Entity,” one section of the affidavit reads, laying out the justification investigators cited in requesting warrants.
Roughly ten pages covering details of the intrusion remain blacked out, leaving it unclear which foreign power was behind the breach.
The Post also reported that FBI Director Kash Patel recently revived a long-stalled inquiry into Bolton’s suspected use of private email for sending national security secrets to his wife and daughter prior to his dismissal by President Trump in September 2019.
That probe had originally been opened in 2020, carried over into the Biden administration, and was subsequently placed on hold before being reopened.
Bolton, now 76 years old, has not been detained and faces no criminal charges at this time.
According to coverage by the New York Times and NBC News, U.S. intelligence agencies intercepted the sensitive emails Bolton is said to have forwarded to his family after retrieving them from a hostile nation’s intelligence service. Those communications were the trigger for the investigation.
Reports from those outlets also suggest that the intercepted messages demonstrate Bolton improperly handled classified information.
“While Bolton was a national security adviser, he was literally stealing classified information, utilizing his family as a cutout,” a senior U.S. official told The Post last month.
The affidavit further notes that Bolton’s 2020 memoir, The Room Where it Happened, contained “significant amounts” of restricted material, including information marked top secret, when an official at the National Security Council reviewed it ahead of publication.
That NSC official sent a letter to Bolton’s attorney, stating the manuscript was “very detailed” and “likely produced from notes written by your client during his service at the White House.”
“When your client received his employee debriefing, he stated that he did not have any notes or other records from his government service,” the letter, which was included in the affidavit, continued. “Any notes that remain in your client’s possession regarding the accounts in the manuscript may fall under the requirements of the Presidential Records Act and be subject to litigation holds.”
“Pleas confirm whether your client has retained any notes or other records from his government service.”
Bolton held the post of national security adviser for 17 months during Trump’s first term, but frequently quarreled with him over policies relating to Iran, Afghanistan, and North Korea before being dismissed.
His book went on to fault Trump’s handling of foreign policy.
Bolton is currently represented by Abbe Lowell, the same attorney who once defended Hunter Biden.
{Matzav.com}
