Ex-Trump adviser John Bolton indicted over handling of classified documents

A national expansive assemblage successful Maryland has indicted John Bolton, United States President Donald Trump’s erstwhile nationalist information adviser, implicit his handling of classified documents, charging him with retaining and transmitting nationalist defence information.

The indictment, filed successful national tribunal successful Maryland connected Thursday, charges Bolton with 8 counts of transmission of nationalist defence accusation and 10 counts of retention of nationalist defence information, each successful usurpation of the Espionage Act.

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Each number is punishable by up to 10 years successful situation if Bolton is convicted, but immoderate condemnation would beryllium determined by a justice based connected a scope of factors.

Bolton’s lawyer said his lawsuit “did not unlawfully stock oregon store immoderate information.”

Bolton served arsenic US ambassador to the United Nations arsenic good arsenic White House nationalist information advisor during Trump’s archetypal word earlier emerging arsenic 1 of the president’s astir vocal critics. He described Trump arsenic unfit to beryllium president successful a memoir helium released past year.

President Donald Trump speaks during a gathering with Argentina’s President Javier Milei successful the Cabinet Room of the White House, Tuesday, October 14, 2025, successful Washington, DC, United States [Alex Brandon/AP Photo]

The charges travel 2 months aft FBI agents searched Bolton’s location and office, seeking grounds of imaginable violations of the Espionage Act, which makes it a transgression to remove, clasp oregon transmit nationalist defence records, according to partially unsealed hunt warrants filed successful national court.

In his Maryland home, agents seized 2 cellphones, documents successful folders labelled “Trump I-IV” and a binder labelled “statements and reflections to Allied Strikes”, according to tribunal documents.

In Bolton’s office, agents recovered records labelled “confidential”, including documents that referenced weapons of wide destruction, the US ngo to the United Nations, and different materials related to the government’s strategical communications, according to tribunal records.

The indictment levied Thursday alleges Bolton transmitted confidential accusation via idiosyncratic email, utilized backstage messaging accounts to nonstop delicate documents that were classified arsenic apical concealed and illegally retained quality documents successful his home, according to the Department of Justice.

Bolton is accused of sharing much than 1,000 pages of accusation astir authorities activities with relatives, according to the indictment.

“These charges stem from portions of Amb. Bolton’s idiosyncratic diaries implicit his 45-year vocation – records that are unclassified, shared lone with his contiguous family, and known to the FBI arsenic acold backmost arsenic 2021,” Bolton’s lawyer Abbe Lowell said successful an emailed statement. “Like galore nationalist officials passim history, Amb. Bolton kept diaries – that is not a crime.”

Trump, who campaigned for the presidency connected a vow of retribution aft facing a slew of ineligible woes erstwhile his archetypal word successful the White House ended successful 2021, has dispensed with decades-long norms designed to insulate national instrumentality enforcement from governmental pressures.

In caller months, helium has actively pushed Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Justice Department to bring charges against his perceived adversaries, adjacent driving retired a authoritative helium deemed to beryllium moving excessively dilatory successful doing so.

Asked by reporters astatine the White House astir the Bolton indictment connected Thursday, Trump said: “He’s a atrocious guy.”

Bolton served arsenic nationalist information advisor during Trump’s archetypal word from 2018 to 2019. In that time, helium clashed with the president implicit Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea earlier getting fired successful 2019.

He has subsequently criticised Trump’s attack to overseas argumentation and government, including successful a 2020 publication titled The Room Where it Happened, which portrayed the president arsenic ill-informed connected overseas policy.

The hunt warrant affidavit said a National Security Council authoritative had reviewed the publication manuscript and told Bolton successful 2020 that it appeared to incorporate “significant amounts” of classified information, immoderate astatine a top-secret level.

Earlier this month, New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led a ineligible lawsuit against Trump implicit alleged fraud successful his businesses, was charged with lying connected a owe application, drafting accusations of governmental vindictiveness by the White House.

Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted connected September 25 connected charges of making mendacious statements and obstructing a legislature investigation, which helium denies. Trump has feuded with Comey since the Russia investigation, which examined imaginable ties betwixt Trump’s 2016 predetermination run and Moscow.

The Justice Department has besides launched investigations into US Senator Adam Schiff and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Schiff and Cook person not been charged, and some cull immoderate proposition of wrongdoing.