Former national security advisor during President Donald Trump’s first term, John Bolton, who has been a vocal critic of the president, was indicted on Thursday, Oct. 16, on charges of improperly retaining national defense information.

According to court filings, federal prosecutors said that documents which were obtained during an August search of Bolton’s office allegedly contained labels of “classified,” “secret” and “confidential.”

Following his time serving under Trump, Bolton has become a vocal critic of the administration’s foreign policy and said the president is unfit to serve. Before the indictment on Oct. 16, Trump had previously revoked Bolton’s security detail and his security clearance.

Here is what to know about John Bolton.

Who is John Bolton?

A graduate of Yale, Bolton, 76, is a lawyer and diplomat who has served in several Republican administrations, where he promoted neoconservative foreign policy stances.

Bolton served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush and was a national security adviser to Trump during his first administration. (Former ambassadors traditionally retain their titles after they no longer hold their positions.)

He has long advocated an aggressive U.S. foreign policy and the use of American military might, including the right to strike first against potential threats. He was a strong proponent of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, and has continued to defend his role in pushing for the war in the years since.

Bolton and Trump

Bolton joined the Trump administration in March 2018 to replace the outgoing national security adviser, H.R. McMaster. But after 17 months in the position, Bolton resigned in September 2019.

In the years since serving under Trump, Bolton became a fierce critic of the president. In 2020, Bolton told USA TODAY that he “probably would have” convicted Trump if he had been a senator during the real estate mogul’s first impeachment trial.

Trump was accused in that trial of abusing power by withholding aid to Ukraine to pressure its government to investigate then-former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. The Senate acquitted Trump on that charge, mainly along party lines.

USA TODAY’s Aysha Bagchi, Bart Jansen, Kathryn Palmer and Reuters contributed to this report.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is John Bolton? Ex-national security adviser indicted in documents probe

Reporting by Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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