John Bolton expected to be charged criminally as soon as next week

John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, is facing criminal charges as soon as next week, MSNBC investigative journalist Carol Leonnig reported Friday afternoon while on air.

The acting U.S. attorney in Maryland is moving forward with the charges, Leonnig reported, citing two people familiar with the case. 

The case has been before a grand jury for several weeks investigating whether Bolton improperly possessed classified national security information in his Maryland home. 

Bolton was fired by Trump during his first administration and has been a frequent critic of the president. 

The FBI conducted a surprise raid of Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, on Sept. 22 in what was reported as a search for suspected classified records based on information from the CIA and approved by a federal judge.  

Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said he had done nothing improper. He has stated that documents with classified markings kept by Bolton were from his time as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration and were typical of those kept by some long-time government employees, according to the outlet.