Ex-Trump aide John Bolton charged amid crackdown on US president’s critics

John Bolton, US President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, was charged on Thursday in a sweeping indictment that accuses him of sharing sensitive government information with two of his relatives for possible use in a book he was writing.

The indictment marked the third time in recent weeks the US Justice Department has secured criminal charges against one of Trump’s critics.

The indictment says the notes Bolton shared with his two relatives in electronic messages included information he gleaned from meetings with senior government officials, discussions with foreign leaders, and intelligence briefings.

In some of the chats, Bolton and his relatives – whom the indictment does not identify – discussed using some of the material for a book. Bolton referred to the two people with whom he shared his daily notes as his “editors”, the indictment said.

“Talking with [book publisher] because they have a right of first refusal!” Bolton wrote in one message, according to the indictment.

The two relatives referred to in the indictment are Bolton’s wife and daughter, two people familiar with the matter said.