Washington, October 17, 2025
John Bolton, former National Security Adviser under President Donald Trump, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Maryland on 18 counts related to the mishandling of classified information. The charges, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, include eight counts of unlawfully transmitting national defense information and ten counts of unlawfully retaining such information under the Espionage Act. Each count carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors allege that Bolton shared over 1,000 pages of sensitive materials, including diary-style entries and classified notes, with family members while preparing his 2020 memoir. These documents reportedly contained top-secret information about U.S. intelligence, government operations, and foreign adversary plans. Additionally, Bolton’s personal email account was allegedly hacked by actors linked to Iran, potentially compromising classified material.
Bolton has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the materials in question were unclassified and previously reviewed by the FBI. His legal team contends that the charges are politically motivated, drawing parallels to earlier investigations into his 2020 book, which was also scrutinized for containing classified information.
The indictment follows recent criminal actions against other Trump critics and has intensified debates over the politicization of the Justice Department. While the investigation began during the Biden administration, pressure to charge Bolton reportedly increased recently. Unlike Trump, Bolton is not accused of obstruction, and the case stems from a broader investigation into potential Espionage Act violations.
The upcoming court proceedings are expected to address the complexities of handling classified information in legal settings, with Bolton’s defense likely to challenge the classification status of the materials involved.
