New details have emerged surrounding the investigation into former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who may have allowed a foreign government to gain access to classified intelligence when publishing a memoir in 2020, according to a bombshell report from the New York Times.
Despite constant allegations from Democrats and mainstream media pundits of political targeting on the part of the Trump Administration, The Times reported that the current investigation into Bolton “began to pick up steam” during the Biden presidency. Intelligence officials began to investigate after obtaining evidence that he may have mishandled classified information, according to unnamed sources familiar with the inquiry.
Credible accusations against Bolton first surfaced in 2020, when the Trump Administration filed a lawsuit attempting to block the release of his book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir.” The government argued that Bolton did not go through the proper vetting process with the National Security Council when drafting the book, a mandatory process for government officials seeking to publish works that may contain classified information.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth refused to block the publication, but only because it was too late. He did conclude, however, that Bolton “likely published classified materials” and had “exposed his country to harm.” He later allowed the wider lawsuit to go forward, which was ultimately dismissed by the Biden Administration in 2021.
