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In today's issue:

▪ Inside the John Bolton indictment

▪ Zelensky returns to Washington

▪ Top admiral resigns amid US strikes

▪ 'No Kings' protests: What to watch

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The indictment of John Bolton, a former national security adviser to President Trump during his first term who has since become a fierce critic, adds to a web of prosecutions targeting the president's political foes.

Bolton’s indictment on 18 counts related to the alleged mishandling of classified documents in Maryland makes him the third key figure Trump has openly criticized whom his administration has brought criminal charges against, following former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).

The indictment of Bolton comes less than two months after the FBI conducted a raid on his home. Trump responded to the raid at the time by saying he didn’t have advance notice of it, but he called the former adviser a “lowlife” and “very unpatriotic.”

The president made a similar statement in response to the indictment on Thursday.

“You’re telling me for the first time, but I think he’s a bad person. I think he’s a bad guy,” Trump said. “It’s too bad, but it’s the way it goes.”

The case against Bolton has some differences from those against Comey and James, both of whom were charged after career prosecutors raised doubts that they had enough evidence.

Comey was charged last month with two counts related to testimony he gave before a congressional committee in 2020 about the FBI’s probe into alleged ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. He’s pleaded not guilty to the charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstruction of a congressional proceeding.

James was indicted last week, with federal prosecutors accusing her of committing mortgage fraud by listing a home that she ultimately rented out as her primary residence. James hasn’t yet entered a plea but has denied wrongdoing. Her arraignment is scheduled for next week.

While Trump-picked interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan brought the cases against Comey and James, the indictment against Bolton was signed by Kelly Hayes, a respected longtime prosecutor leading the U.S. attorney’s office in Maryland, The Washington Post reported.

Tom Sullivan, a career prosecutor, reportedly presented the case to the grand jury and signed the indictment as well. The case is related to an investigation stemming from former President Biden’s administration, and people familiar with the case told the Post that the evidence against Bolton is much stronger than that against Comey or James.

Bolton faces eight counts of transmitting and 10 counts of retaining national defense information. Prosecutors allege that the former official “abused his position” as national security adviser from April 2018 until at least August of this year to share more than a thousand pages of information about his daily activities in the role with two unauthorized individuals.

The two individuals were “related” to him and never held security clearances, according to the indictment.

Bolton said in a statement that he would “never” compromise the country’s foreign policy or national security goals and blamed the charges on Trump’s “retribution.”

“Then came Trump 2 who embodies what Joseph Stalin’s head of secret police once said, ‘You show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime,’” he said. “These charges are not just about his focus on me or my diaries, but his intensive effort to intimidate his opponents, to ensure that he alone determines what is said about his conduct.”

“Dissent and disagreement are foundational to America’s constitutional system, and vitally important to our freedom. I look forward to the fight to defend my lawful conduct and to expose [Trump’s] abuse of power,” Bolton said.

The cases against Bolton and other Trump foes have yielded significant scrutiny on the Department of Justice. Shortly before the indictments against Comey and James were handed up, Trump called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to bring cases against both individuals as well as Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).

Trump has said he doesn’t have a “list” of people he wants to see face charges, but he hasn’t been shy about floating prosecution for various opponents. He suggested during a press conference at the White House on Wednesday that officials should bring charges against more people: former special counsel Jack Smith, former prosecutor Andrew Weissmann and former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.

CNN reported that Bolton is expected to surrender himself to authorities as soon as Friday.

▪ The Hill: 5 takeaways from the Bolton indictment.

▪ NPR: “The targets of Trump’s DOJ are already paying a price.”

▪ CNN: Justice Department brings first terrorism case tied to antifa crackdown.

▪ CBS News: Jack Smith slams DOJ for Comey case.

Smart Take with Blake Burman

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be at the White House today to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war with Trump. On Thursday, a phone conversation between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin paved the way for a future meeting between the two in Hungary. “I actually believe that the Success in the Middle East will help in our negotiation in attaining an end to the War with Russia/Ukraine,” the president posted on social media.

I asked Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, about another leader. What might Chinese President Xi Jinping be thinking right now?

“We have to recognize Xi Jinping is rooting for Putin. They're funding Putin's war, and they talk about a No Limits partnership,” Moolenaar

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