Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton was indicted on Thursday for unlawfully storing top-secret records at his residence and sharing classified information in diary-like notes with unauthorized individuals. The 18-count indictment also alleges that classified data was compromised when hackers, suspected to be linked to the Iranian regime, breached Bolton’s email account in 2021. A representative of Bolton informed the FBI about the email hacking but failed to disclose the sharing of classified information or the hackers’ access to such data.
The investigation into Bolton, who served in President Donald Trump’s first administration for over a year before being dismissed in 2019, became public in August when the FBI searched his Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office for potential classified records retained from his government service. The indictment, filed in federal court in Greenbelt, Md., paves the way for a high-profile court case involving a prominent figure in Republican foreign policy circles, known for his strong views on American power, particularly during his tenure as U.S. ambassador to the UN under President George W. Bush. After leaving the Trump administration, Bolton became a vocal critic of the president.
The indictment accuses Bolton of misusing his position as national security adviser by sharing over 1,000 pages of information related to his daily activities with unauthorized individuals, including relatives. He is also charged with illegally retaining documents and notes concerning national defense, some of which were classified at the highest level. Bolton vehemently denied the charges, attributing them to Trump’s efforts to intimidate his adversaries. His lawyer emphasized that the information shared was unclassified, only with immediate family, and known to the FBI since 2021.
While the investigation began under the Biden administration and before Trump’s second term, concerns have arisen about the politicization of the Justice Department to target political opponents. This indictment follows other high-profile cases, including charges against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, who both refute the accusations. Unlike those cases filed in Virginia under Trump’s appointee, the Bolton case was pursued by a career prosecutor in Maryland.
Questions regarding Bolton’s handling of classified information have lingered for years, with controversies arising around his 2020 book, “The Room Where It Happened,” which portrayed Trump as lacking foreign policy knowledge. The Trump administration alleged that the book contained classified data endangering national security. Bolton’s legal team asserts that the manuscript was cleared by a National Security Council official before publication. The unsealed search warrant affidavit indicated that Bolton had documents labeled as classified seized during the August search, including information on weapons of mass destruction and U.S. strategic communication.
This indictment marks a significant development in Bolton’s extensive government career, which includes roles in the Reagan and Bush administrations. Despite serving as the U.S. ambassador to the UN, Bolton’s appointment was temporary due to Senate confirmation challenges. His tenure as Trump’s national security adviser was marked by disagreements leading to his resignation in 2019. Bolton criticized Trump’s foreign policy in his book, prompting a public feud with the president over alleged classified information disclosures.