By Nate Raymond
(Reuters) -John Bolton, who became a vocal critic of Donald Trump after serving as his national security adviser, on Monday said he was confident he did not publish any classified information in his 2020 book as the U.S. Department of Justice weighs seeking his indictment.
Bolton, who served under Trump during his first term as president, said he could not speak at length about the Trump administration’s probe into his handling of classified information “for pretty obvious reasons.”
FBI agents searched Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington office last month as part of a federal investigation over potential unauthorized retention or removal of classified information, according to court documents.
When asked about the raid during an appearance at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Bolton said nothing classified was included his 2020 book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir.”
The book painted a scathing picture of the Republican president’s first administration, which sought to block the memoir from being published.
“I’m very confident that there’s nothing in the book that’s classified,” Bolton said.
He made those remarks days after the Justice Department secured the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, as Trump continues to push for prosecutors under Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue charges against his political enemies.
Senior leaders at the Justice Department have been pushing for swift charges against Bolton despite concern from prosecutors who felt more investigation was needed, Reuters reported last week, citing people familiar with the matter.
Bolton, a staunch conservative, on Monday said the president had surrounded himself in his second term with “yes men and yes women” to accomplish his goals.
“I think it’s important to understand that Trump is an aberration in American politics,” Bolton said. “There has never been anything like this before, and hopefully never will be again.”
The FBI search found records in Bolton’s office labeled confidential, including documents that referenced weapons of mass destruction, the U.S. mission to the United Nations and other materials related to the U.S. government’s strategic communications, unsealed court records showed.
Abbe Lowell, his lawyer, has said a review would show nothing inappropriate was stored or kept by Bolton.
The Justice Department during Trump’s first term sued Bolton and started a criminal investigation into him over allegations his book contained classified information. A judge declined to block its publication. The investigation and lawsuit were dropped in 2021 during President Joe Biden’s administration.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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