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John Bolton, Donald Trump's former national security adviser, has arrived at a federal court to surrender to authorities on charges of mishandling classified information.
The 18 charges stem from allegations he shared or retained sensitive materials, including some characterised as top secret.
Bolton served during Trump's first administration but parted with the White House contentiously, and has become one of the president's most vocal public critics.
The indictment makes Bolton, 76, the third of the US president's political opponents to face charges in recent weeks. Bolton has said he would defend his "lawful conduct".
Prosecutors have accused Bolton of using personal messaging apps and email to illegally transmit sensitive information.
"These documents revealed intelligence about future attacks, foreign adversaries, and foreign-policy relations," prosecutors wrote.
Responding to the charges, Bolton said he would defend his "lawful conduct."
He added he had "become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he [Trump] deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts."
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