John Bolton Makes Damning Admission After Being Charged with 18 Felonies
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton was indicted Thursday on 18 felony counts for allegedly mishandling classified materials — a sweeping case that federal prosecutors say involves the unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information.
Bolton, who served as President Donald J. Trump’s national security adviser during his first term, faces 10 counts of unlawful retention and eight counts of transmitting classified information, according to Just the News.
He appeared Friday at a Maryland courthouse, where he was expected to surrender and plead not guilty.
In a public statement, Bolton portrayed himself as a victim of political retribution.
“I have become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those [Trump] deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts,” Bolton said.
The indictment marks the latest chapter in Bolton’s long and contentious history with the Trump administration — one that began with his appointment as a top national security official and ended in a bitter public feud following the release of his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened.
That book led to a civil lawsuit from the Department of Justice, which alleged Bolton violated his employment agreement by publishing it without completing a mandatory pre-publication review for classified material. The DOJ later opened a criminal investigation to determine whether Bolton had leaked classified information.
While the Biden DOJ ultimately dropped the case in 2021 — prompting Bolton to claim “complete vindication” — a federal judge overseeing the matter previously ruled that Bolton “likely published classified materials” and “exposed his country to harm.”
Now, new evidence appears to have resurrected the issue under President Trump’s Department of Justice.
According to the indictment, Bolton is accused of retaining and sharing hundreds of pages of classified national security material, including information marked TOP SECRET/SCI, with two unauthorized individuals.
“From on or about April 9, 2018, through at least on or about August 22, 2025, BOLTON abused his position as National Security Advisor by sharing more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor—including information relating to the national defense which was classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level—with two unauthorized individuals,” the indictment states.
The Justice Department alleges that Bolton kept documents in his Maryland home detailing highly sensitive operations, including intelligence related to a planned attack by a hostile group, a covert U.S. mission abroad, and methods used in human intelligence gathering, according to Fox News.
Prosecutors say one document described intelligence from foreign partners, while others outlined an adversary’s planned missile launch and internal communications within the U.S. intelligence community.
Bolton has denied wrongdoing and insists his work was cleared by career classification officials.
“The book was reviewed and approved by the appropriate, experienced career clearance officials,” Bolton said. “These charges are not just about [Trump’s] focus on me or my diaries, but his intensive effort to intimidate his opponents.”
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.”
The indictment also references a 2021 hacking incident, in which Bolton’s representative notified the FBI that one of his personal accounts had been compromised by Iranian actors. The Bureau reportedly found no evidence that classified information had been accessed.
Still, prosecutors say Bolton’s actions represent a serious breach of national security protocol — one that underscores President Trump’s vow to hold former officials accountable for past misconduct and the alleged weaponization of government institutions.
If convicted on all counts, Bolton faces decades in federal prison.