Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Maryland on 18 counts related to the alleged mishandling of classified information — a dramatic escalation in the Justice Department’s ongoing scrutiny of former senior officials.
The Indictment
According to court filings, the indictment includes eight counts of unlawful transmission of national defense information and ten counts of unlawful retention of the same.
Prosecutors allege that during his tenure as national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, Bolton used a personal email account and messaging apps to send eight classified documents — some labeled Secret and Top Secret — to unauthorized recipients.
Seven of those transmissions allegedly occurred while Bolton was still serving in the White House. Another was sent just days after he was dismissed by then-President Donald Trump in September 2019.
The documents in question reportedly contained sensitive material, including intelligence on foreign adversaries’ missile launches, covert U.S. operations, and communications shared by international partners. Prosecutors also allege that Bolton maintained “thousands of pages” of diary-style notes referencing classified information at his Maryland home and Washington, D.C. office.
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The Hacking Incident
The indictment further claims that a cyber actor linked to Iran hacked Bolton’s personal email in 2021, gaining access to some of the same classified information he had previously transmitted. Prosecutors argue that Bolton failed to disclose to federal authorities that his personal correspondence contained national defense material.
Bolton’s Response
Bolton strongly denied the charges, calling them politically motivated and tied to Donald Trump’s alleged campaign of retribution against former officials who criticized him.
“For four decades, I have devoted my life to America’s national security,” Bolton said in a statement. “These charges are part of a pattern of Donald Trump’s retribution. I look forward to the fight to defend my lawful conduct and to expose his abuse of power.”
Bolton also stated that his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, had undergone the proper prepublication review and was “reviewed and approved by experienced career clearance officials.”
Legal and Political Fallout
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the charges reaffirm that “no one is above the law,” adding that anyone who “jeopardizes our national security” must be held accountable.
Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, countered that the materials in question were unclassified personal diaries and that investigators had known about them since 2021.
“The underlying facts were investigated and resolved years ago,” Lowell said. “We look forward to proving once again that Ambassador Bolton did not unlawfully share or store any classified information.”
The Justice Department said it seized 10 documents during searches of Bolton’s home and office in August, alongside multiple personal devices containing files marked Top Secret and Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
A Broader Context
Bolton’s indictment comes shortly after similar legal actions targeting former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James — both high-profile critics of Trump. The pattern has sparked concerns of politically motivated prosecutions under the current administration.
Trump, meanwhile, has long accused Bolton of publishing classified information in his memoir, telling Fox News in 2022:
“He took classified information and he published it, during a presidency. I believe he’s a criminal, and frankly, he should go to jail for that.”
Each count of unlawful retention or transmission carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison, setting the stage for what could become one of the most politically charged national security trials in years.
