John Bolton was charged with 18 criminal counts of possessing and transmitting national defense information.
FBI searches John Bolton’s home in national security investigation
FBI agents searched John Bolton’s home as part of the Trump national security investigation led by Director Kash Patel.
Former national security adviser John Bolton, who has become a critic of President Donald Trump, was indicted on October 16 on charges of improperly preserving national defense information, including allegedly classified documents.
The case is the latest in a series of prosecutions of people considered to be President Trump’s enemies.
The charges come after federal law enforcement said in a court filing that they obtained documents labeled “confidential,” “confidential” and “top secret” during a search of Bolton’s office in August. The charges are the third criminal case filed against a major critic of President Trump in about three weeks.
The attorney recently appointed by President Trump to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Virginia has no experience as a prosecutor but has a personal relationship with Trump and secured the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey and former New York Attorney General Letitia James after Trump publicly called for the indictment of Comey and James.
Mr. Bolton’s lawyer, Abby Rowell, said in a statement that the underlying facts of the case had been investigated and resolved “years before” Mr. Trump returned to the Oval Office.
“These charges stem from portions of Col. Bolton’s personal diary spanning his 45-year career. The records are unclassified, shared only with his immediate family, and were known to the FBI as far back as 2021,” Rowell said.
“Ambassador Bolton, like many public servants throughout history, kept a diary, which was not a crime. We look forward to once again proving that Ambassador Bolton did not illegally share or store any information,” the lawyers added.
“I think he’s a bad guy, you know,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the indictment.
“I think he’s a bad guy. Yeah, he’s a bad guy,” the president said. “It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way it is. That’s the way it is, isn’t it?”
Who is John Bolton?
Mr. Bolton served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush and as national security adviser to President Trump in his first administration. (It is traditional for former ambassadors to retain their titles even after leaving office.)
In the years since Trump took office, Bolton has become a fierce critic of the president. In 2020, Bolton told USA TODAY that if Trump had been a senator, he “probably” would have convicted Trump at the real estate mogul’s first impeachment trial.
In that case, Trump was charged with abuse of power by withholding aid to Ukraine in order to pressure the government to investigate then-Vice President Joe Biden and his son. The Senate acquitted Trump on the charge largely along party lines.
What is John Bolton accused of?
The indictment alleges that between Bolton’s departure from the administration in September 2019 and July 2021, hackers believed to have ties to Iran accessed Bolton’s emails and classified and national defense information in his accounts.
Mr. Bolton’s representatives notified the government about the hack, the indictment said, but did not say the account contained defense information from his time as national security adviser.
Mr Bolton was charged with 18 offenses, including 10 counts of possessing national defense information and eight counts of transmitting national defense information.
The indictment says these documents revealed covert actions planned by the U.S. government, information confirming that a foreign enemy was responsible for the attack, and the sources and collection methods used to obtain foreign enemy statements.
The allegations against Mr. Bolton are similar to some of the allegations made against Mr. Trump in the past. A federal prosecution alleging Trump mishandled classified documents and another alleging he conspired to steal the 2020 presidential election were both dropped after Trump won the 2024 election.
Prosecutions against President Trump’s opponents
Trump’s bitter past with Comey and James also goes back many years.
President Trump fired Comey in 2017 as the FBI was investigating ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government. Comey, who is currently facing charges of lying to Congress and obstructing Congress, has publicly declared his innocence and pleaded not guilty in court.
In 2024, Mr. James won a major civil lawsuit against Mr. Trump over financial fraud. But the New York Court of Appeals threw out a $454 million fine imposed on Trump as a result of the lawsuit, while retaining certain business restrictions on him. James’ office is appealing the decision.
This story has been updated with additional information.
