John Bolton Indicted on Criminal Charges
Former national security adviser John Bolton has entered a not guilty plea to 18 criminal charges concerning the mishandling of classified information.
Bolton appeared in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Friday, responding to an indictment handed down by a federal grand jury just a day earlier. The indictment relates to accusations of illegal transmission and retention of classified material. Bolton, who served as an adviser to President Donald Trump during Trump’s first term, faces a total of 18 counts for transmitting national defense information and 10 counts for possessing such information.
Notably, Trump dismissed Bolton in September 2019 after the two had stark disagreements on foreign policy and various other matters. Trump has characterized Bolton as a “neoconservative hawk” who would “take on the whole world at once.”
The accusations suggest Bolton maintained both physical and digital copies of classified material concerning national defense at his home in Maryland. Additionally, he allegedly shared “diary-like entries” containing sensitive information with family members using his personal AOL email and messaging applications.
“We’re not talking about any of it!!!” Bolton reportedly wrote after sending a confidential document to a relative.
The indictment claims that from April 9, 2018, until at least August 22, 2025, Bolton misused his position as National Security Advisor, revealing over 1,000 pages of information about his daily activities. This included national defense details that were classified as high as Top Secret/SCI.
It also states that Bolton improperly secured national defense documents at his residence in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Officials also assert that some of the information Bolton maintained was disclosed to the Iranian government after hackers linked to Iran accessed his email account.
In response, Bolton’s attorney, Abbey Lowell, contended that “the fundamental facts of this case were investigated and resolved years ago.” Lowell argued that keeping a diary, which Bolton did, is not a crime and denied that he shared or stored information unlawfully.
Bolton has suggested that these charges are part of a “revenge campaign” initiated by Trump, stemming from Bolton’s 2020 book that criticized Trump’s foreign policy decisions.
However, FBI Director Kash Patel indicated that the agency had examined the situation and confirmed that Bolton did use a personal account to share confidential information, which breaches federal law. Patel emphasized that the investigation was diligent and that any threats to national security would be pursued rigorously.
During the Friday court proceedings, Bolton agreed to surrender his passport after reviewing the charges with his legal team. His next court date is set for November 21st.
