John Bolton faces 18 criminal counts

CBS News Justice Correspondent Scott MacFarlane also joins us now from Washington with the latest on the indictment of John Bolton. Scott, good morning. Help our viewers understand, who might just be waking up to this news, what is in this indictment. Eighteen federal criminal counts, Errol, alleging unlawful transmission and retention of national defense information, information that, according to the Department of Justice, includes top secret classified information that Bolton is accused of sharing with two family members and keeping in his Maryland home. This criminal case will move forward at the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, the one nearest Bolton's home. And the initial court appearance could happen as early as today. This is a case that involves classified information. It involves records between 2018 and 2019 that Bolton is accused of sharing and maintaining. But all of this is not happening in a vacuum at all. It's happening as the president is championing the cases brought by his Department of Justice against his one-time political rivals. John Bolton makes three in the last few weeks.

And Scott, Bolton says he's innocent. He says this is part of politics from President Trump attacking rivals. But as far as how the facts were laid out to share classified information in an AOL account, for example, help us understand why that is such a violation, and how everyone in the intelligence community would be expected to not do such a thing. This is a 26-page indictment that says, in so many ways, John Bolton knew he was using or transmitting defense information that was not to be transmitted and not to be held, that he did so knowingly. This case has so many differences from the other two cases recently filed against Trump political rivals. The James Comey case is brief and boilerplate. Very little is specified there. The Letitia James, the New York Attorney General case, brought in Virginia, there's an arraignment a week from today, very short, brief charging document. Both of those brought by political appointee of President Trump. This one against John Bolton is brought by a career national security prosecutor. It's lengthy, it's granular. All three of these individuals deny wrongdoing. All of them have court dates coming soon.

All right, Scott MacFarlane will be busy. Thanks so much for the update.