Gambiaj.com – (Washington, D.C.) – John Bolton, who served as national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term before emerging as one of his sharpest critics, was indicted Thursday on 18 federal charges tied to the mishandling of classified documents.
The indictment, filed in Maryland’s district court, accuses Bolton of eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of unlawfully retaining such information. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
According to the Justice Department, Bolton improperly transmitted classified material using his personal email and messaging applications. Prosecutors allege this included intelligence about “future attacks, foreign adversaries, and foreign-policy relations.”
“There is one tier of justice for all Americans,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement announcing the charges. “Anyone who abuses a position of power and jeopardizes our national security will be held accountable.”
The indictment follows a July FBI search of Bolton’s suburban Washington home, where agents recovered classified documents, including references to weapons of mass destruction.
Bolton, who served just over a year as Trump’s national security adviser, has been an outspoken opponent of the president since leaving the White House in 2019. He has previously accused Trump of seeking to use the Justice Department for political “retribution” and has warned of what he calls a “retribution presidency.”
The investigation into Bolton predates Trump’s return to office. Soon after resuming power, Trump stripped Bolton of his security clearance and revoked his government security detail, citing threats from Iran.
Bolton is also the author of the 2020 memoir The Room Where It Happened, which offered a scathing critique of Trump’s foreign policy.
The Trump administration unsuccessfully sued to block its publication, claiming the book contained classified information that had not been cleared for release. While a judge allowed the book’s release, he noted that Bolton’s conduct raised serious national security concerns.
The indictment adds to a growing list of prosecutions targeting Trump’s critics. In recent weeks, former FBI Director James Comey was charged with making false statements and obstruction of justice, while New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted on counts of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution. Both had previously pursued legal or investigative actions against Trump.
Bolton, however, was not mentioned in Trump’s recent social media post calling for prosecutions of Comey and James. The charges came after Trump replaced the top federal prosecutor in Northern Virginia—who had questioned the strength of the evidence against Comey and James—with one of his former defense attorneys.
If convicted, Bolton could face a lengthy prison sentence, marking a dramatic fall for the veteran diplomat and longtime Republican policy adviser.
