Politics

Bolton Indictment: How Trump’s Former National Security Advisor Faces 18 Counts and What It Means

Bolton indicted for mishandling classified info. He shared data with family; claims Trump weaponized the DOJ.

October 17, 2025, 9:25 PM

Close-up portrait of John Bolton, former US National Security Advisor, wearing a suit and glasses, with a small American flag in the foreground.

Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton during his official visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, in August 2018. By paparazzza / Shutterstock.com.

Executive Summary

John Bolton, President Trump’s former national security adviser, has been indicted on 18 counts of mishandling classified information, including sharing sensitive documents with his wife and daughter from a personal email account.

Bolton pleaded not guilty, asserting he is a victim of President Trump’s efforts to weaponize the Justice Department and intimidate opponents.

The multi-year investigation, which began during the Biden administration following an Iranian hack of Bolton’s email, reportedly faced political pressure to expedite charges, though career prosecutors initially resisted.

The Story So Far

John Bolton’s indictment for mishandling classified information stems from a history of animosity with President Trump, who publicly denounced Bolton’s critical 2020 memoir as “treasonous.” The current investigation originated after an Iranian hack on Bolton’s personal email in 2021 revealed his practice of sending sensitive diary entries from that account, leading to the charges, which occurred amid broader reports of political pressure from President Trump to prosecute perceived political enemies.

Why This Matters

The indictment of John Bolton on 18 counts of mishandling classified information, including sharing over a thousand sensitive pages via personal email, not only raises significant national security concerns but also intensifies scrutiny on the Justice Department, with Bolton asserting he is a victim of President Trump’s efforts to weaponize the department against his critics, setting the stage for a high-profile legal and political battle.

Who Thinks What?

John Bolton asserts his innocence, claiming he is a victim of President Trump’s efforts to weaponize the Justice Department to intimidate political opponents and that the charges represent an abuse of power.

President Trump and his allies, including FBI Director Kash Patel, believe Bolton is a “lowlife” and “treasonous” figure who should be prosecuted and jailed for his actions, with Trump having inquired about the case’s progress and strength.

Career prosecutors within the Justice Department, after a multi-year investigation, allege that Bolton mishandled over a thousand pages of classified information by sharing sensitive material from his personal email account with unauthorized individuals.

John Bolton, who served as President Trump’s national security adviser, has been indicted on 18 counts of mishandling classified information following a quiet, multi-year investigation that originated during the Biden administration. The indictment, unsealed on October 17, 2025, in Maryland, alleges that Bolton shared over a thousand pages of sensitive information from his personal email account with two unauthorized individuals, identified by CNN as his wife and daughter. Bolton has pleaded not guilty to all charges, asserting he is a victim of President Trump’s efforts to weaponize the Justice Department.

Investigation Details Emerge

The investigation into Bolton began approximately three years ago, with the Maryland US Attorney’s office quietly building a case. According to sources familiar with the matter, FBI Director Kash Patel, upon being briefed on the investigation in February, expressed strong frustration, reportedly asking why Bolton had not yet been jailed.

This indictment marks Bolton as the third prominent critic of President Trump to face charges in the past month. While President Trump had publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute other perceived political enemies, including James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, he did not specifically name Bolton in his recent social media post.

The cases against Comey and James were presented to a grand jury by Lindsey Halligan, an interim US attorney handpicked by President Trump, who had no prior prosecutorial experience. In contrast, the 26-page indictment against Bolton was signed by six career prosecutors, including US Attorney for Maryland Kelly Hayes and the Justice Department’s current head of counterintelligence investigations, Scott Lara, indicating broader support within the Justice Department.

Origin of the Probe and Trump’s Reactions

The initial criminal investigation into Bolton, which focused on whether his 2020 memoir illegally revealed national security information, was closed by the Justice Department in June 2021. However, a new probe commenced around the same time after a Bolton representative notified the FBI on July 6, 2021, of an Iranian hack into his AOL email account.

Investigators, assessing potential damage from the hack, began to question Bolton’s practice of sending diary entries from his personal email, which subsequently led to the current charges. The Iranian hacking campaign reportedly included threats against Bolton, aiming to expose him and cause problems similar to those faced by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

President Trump has long been a vocal critic of Bolton, especially after the release of his 2020 memoir, which contained highly critical allegations about the Trump White White House, including claims that Trump sought Chinese assistance for the 2020 election. Trump publicly called Bolton “a lowlife who should be in jail” in 2020 over the book and labeled his actions as “treasonous.”

Despite his previous outspokenness, President Trump had commented less frequently on the Bolton probe this year. However, sources indicate that since the search of Bolton’s home and office in August, President Trump had inquired about the case’s status and had been assured of its progress and strength.

Investigation Progress and Political Pressure

The FBI and national security lawyers formally opened an investigation into the email hack in 2022. The process involved obtaining warrants for data from service providers like Yahoo and Google, with the collected information meticulously reviewed by both the intelligence community and a Justice Department filter team to separate classified material and attorney-client records.

In August, FBI agents executed search warrants on Bolton’s home and office, seizing electronics and numerous documents labeled as “secret,” “confidential,” and “classified,” some pertaining to weapons of mass destruction. These searches were crucial, as investigators found printed copies of emails Bolton had sent to his family, some explicitly noted for “the Archives.”

Following the August searches, Justice Department leaders, including an attorney from the deputy attorney general’s office, reportedly pressed for the US Attorney’s office to charge Bolton more quickly. However, career prosecutors in Maryland resisted, arguing for more time to strengthen the case, including a thorough review of the newly obtained records.

The political pressure on the Maryland office eased after the indictment of Comey. Subsequently, career prosecutors on the Bolton case withdrew their reservations on timing, leading to the finalization of the indictment last weekend. Lead prosecutor Thomas Sullivan presented the case to a federal grand jury on Thursday, resulting in the 18 counts against Bolton.

Next Steps

John Bolton’s plea of not guilty sets the stage for a legal battle. He stated that the charges represent an “intensive effort to intimidate his opponents” and an abuse of power by President Trump, vowing to defend his conduct and expose such abuses. The ongoing proceedings will shed further light on the allegations and the future of this high-profile case.