 "Explained: What are the charges against ex-US NSA John Bolton? What next?")
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton, one of the most outspoken critics of United States President Donald Trump, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Maryland on charges related to the mishandling and transmission of classified national defence information.
The 77-year-old diplomat, attorney, and veteran of multiple Republican administrations faces eighteen criminal counts, including eight for transmitting national defence information and ten for unlawful retention of classified material.
The charges were unsealed on Thursday, in yet another legal escalation between Trump’s Justice Department and some of his most prominent political adversaries.
The indictment follows an extended investigation that began several years ago, originating during the Biden administration in 2022, and centres on Bolton’s personal records from his time at the White House.
The indictment was first reported by CNN, citing two sources.
What is the case against Bolton?
Prosecutors allege that Bolton meticulously kept what they call “digital diaries” — thousands of pages of daily records written during his tenure as National Security Adviser from 2018 to 2019.
These entries, according to the indictment, contained “information classified up to the TOP SECRET level” and were shared and stored on personal devices at his home.
Investigators claim Bolton routinely took handwritten notes during sensitive meetings in the White House and other secure facilities.
He later retyped these notes on his personal computer and emailed copies to non-governmental accounts hosted by AOL and Google. The material allegedly described secure settings and classified deliberations, which he then retained after leaving office.
The indictment also asserts that Bolton distributed this information to his family members through private online chats. In one cited example, prosecutors say Bolton created a chat group for the purpose of saving his notes for “Diary in the future!!!”
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that, “The FBI’s investigation revealed that John Bolton allegedly transmitted top secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house in direct violation of federal law.”
The Justice Department contends that Bolton’s actions violated clear national security protocols, especially since he had been publicly critical of others accused of similar behaviour.
The indictment references a 2017 comment from Bolton criticising Hillary Clinton’s email practices, in which he said, “if I had done at the State Department what [senior US Government official] did, I’d be [imprisoned] right now.”
Prosecutors argue this demonstrated his understanding of the rules surrounding classified information and the consequences of breaching them.
What is Bolton’s defence?
Following the indictment, Bolton released a statement describing himself as a target of political persecution. He accused Trump of manipulating the Justice Department to punish dissenters and suppress criticism.
Bolton stated that his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, had been reviewed and cleared by “the appropriate, experienced career clearance officials.”
He also stated that the FBI had been fully informed about his email being hacked by Iranian actors in 2021, but that no charges were filed during the entire Biden presidency.
“Then came Trump 2 who embodies what Joseph Stalin’s head of secret police once said, ‘You show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime,’” Bolton said.
“These charges are not just about his focus on me or my diaries, but his intensive effort to intimidate his opponents, to ensure that he alone determines what is said about his conduct.”
He added, “Dissent and disagreement are foundational to America’s constitutional system, and vitally important to our freedom. I look forward to the fight to defend my lawful conduct and to expose his abuse of power.”
How did the investigation against Bolton begin?
While the current charges were filed under Trump’s second administration, the inquiry traces its origins to 2022, when the FBI and Justice Department began examining a cyber intrusion attributed to Iranian hackers who had compromised Bolton’s private email accounts.
The breach, officials say, exposed a trove of communications and files that allegedly contained national defence information.
The materials led investigators to uncover thousands of diary-like notes and emails referencing restricted government discussions, including some related to US foreign policy and national security deliberations.
The initial probe was launched quietly under the Biden administration, after the Justice Department had already closed earlier cases involving Bolton’s memoir.
Those earlier cases — one civil and one criminal — had been initiated during Trump’s first term, when his administration sought to block publication of Bolton’s book on the grounds that it contained classified content.
A federal judge had rejected the government’s attempt to halt the book’s release, though the Trump administration pursued a separate civil lawsuit seeking to seize Bolton’s profits from the book.
The Biden administration dropped both actions in 2021, saying further prosecution was unnecessary.
The current indictment, however, revives concerns about the same material, citing evidence uncovered during the Iran-related cyber investigation.
What does the indictment say?
Court filings detail a series of allegations surrounding Bolton’s conduct, including retention of printed classified notes, transmission of top-secret material via personal email, and storage of defence information on unapproved devices.
Prosecutors say Bolton repeatedly used his own non-governmental accounts to send and receive restricted information.
The indictment alleges that his actions were “willful” and that he shared data with individuals lacking the required security clearances.
Each of the 18 counts carries a potential sentence of up to ten years in federal prison, meaning that Bolton could face a lengthy term if convicted on all charges.
The case has been assigned to US District Judge Theodore Chuang, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014.
The indictment was signed by Maryland US Attorney Kelly Hayes, a career prosecutor who has served in various senior roles since 2013.
The document also bears the names of Thomas Sullivan, head of the office’s National Security Division, and several other career attorneys — a point the Justice Department has highlighted to underscore that the case was not purely politically driven.
How has Trump reacted?
At the time the indictment was announced, Trump was at the White House addressing a policy event on IVF drug prices. When asked by reporters about Bolton’s indictment, Trump responded, “He’s, you know, a bad person. I think he’s a bad guy. Yeah, he’s a bad guy, too bad, but that’s the way it goes, right?”
Trump’s hostility toward Bolton dates back to their bitter split in September 2019, when Bolton exited the administration amid deep policy disagreements. Bolton said he had resigned voluntarily, but Trump insisted he had fired his national security adviser.
Their relationship worsened further when Bolton’s book — released in 2020 — portrayed Trump as “stunningly uninformed” and overly influenced by foreign adversaries.
How did Trump and Bolton fall out?
Bolton joined the Trump administration in April 2018 as National Security Adviser, replacing HR McMaster.
His tenure was marked by fierce internal debates over Iran, North Korea, and Afghanistan. He strongly opposed the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, pushing for US withdrawal — a move Trump ultimately carried out in May 2018.
By 2019, tensions between the two men had become untenable. Bolton advocated for a harder line on Iran and North Korea, while Trump favoured direct diplomacy.
The relationship fractured completely following disagreements over negotiations with the Taliban and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.
After Bolton’s departure, he remained a frequent critic of Trump’s foreign policy, arguing that the president was guided by personal political considerations rather than national interest.
Following Trump’s re-election and return to the White House in January, one of his early decisions was to revoke Bolton’s security clearance and withdraw his protective detail, citing expired necessity.
“We take a job, you take a job, you want to do a job, we’re not going to have security on people for the rest of their lives,” Trump told reporters at the time. “I think there was enough time… he’s a very dumb person.”
Their public feud continued when Bolton denounced Trump’s decision to host Russian President Vladimir Putin in the United States to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war, describing it as a diplomatic blunder.
Trump, in turn, attacked Bolton personally, calling him a “warmonger” and “a man obsessed with war.”
Is this a broader campaign against Trump’s critics?
Bolton’s indictment arrives amid a wave of prosecutions targeting other figures long at odds with the US president.
Since returning to office, Trump has made clear his intention to pursue legal accountability for perceived enemies, frequently framing such efforts as restoring “justice” after years of investigations into his own conduct.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Justice Department has brought charges against several high-profile individuals, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom were involved in prior cases scrutinising Trump’s actions.
Comey faces allegations of making false statements to Congress and obstructing congressional proceedings, while James has been charged with bank fraud and providing false information to financial institutions.
In those cases, indictments were filed by Lindsey Halligan, a Trump appointee who replaced US Attorney Erik Siebert after Siebert reportedly resisted pursuing cases due to insufficient evidence.
The Justice Department insists that Bolton’s case is substantively stronger than those of Comey or James. Officials involved in the case say that the investigation into Bolton had been ongoing for years and retained bipartisan support from career prosecutors who were not political appointees.
Still, the department faces criticism for what some observers describe as selective enforcement.
Earlier this year, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth came under scrutiny after sharing classified details of a planned US operation in Yemen with a small private chat group that included family members and a journalist.
That case, however, was quickly closed, and no criminal investigation was pursued.
What next for Bolton?
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 20, 1948, John Robert Bolton has been a fixture of US conservative politics for over four decades. He graduated from Yale University and Yale Law School, later serving in key national security and foreign policy roles under multiple Republican presidents.
Bolton first rose to prominence during the Reagan administration, working as Assistant Attorney General from 1985 to 1989.
Under President George HW Bush, he became Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, a post he held until 1993.
He later served as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs under President George W Bush from 2001 to 2005.
In 2005, Bush appointed him US Ambassador to the United Nations through a recess appointment after Senate Democrats blocked his confirmation. He served until December 2006, stepping down once the recess term expired.
Bolton has long been regarded as a foreign policy hawk, favouring regime change and military pressure against adversarial states.
He was also affiliated with the American Enterprise Institute and worked as a Fox News commentator, later advising Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign on national security matters.
Bolton is expected to surrender voluntarily to federal authorities in Greenbelt, Maryland, though a court date has not yet been set.
Legal analysts suggest the case could hinge on whether prosecutors can prove that Bolton knowingly disseminated classified information and that the materials in question were properly marked and restricted.
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