Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges accusing him of mishandling classified information by sharing it on a private email server.
Bolton, 76, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Sullivan in Greenbelt, Maryland, one day after a federal grand jury indicted him on 18 counts of illegally retaining and transmitting national security information. Each count carries a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years.
When asked by Judge Sullivan for his plea, Bolton responded firmly: “Not guilty.” He was released on his own recognizance pending trial.
“There is one tier of justice for all Americans,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “Anyone who abuses a position of power and jeopardizes our national security will be held accountable. No one is above the law.”
The indictment follows a two-month investigation that began when federal agents raided Bolton’s home and Washington, D.C., office in August, seizing electronic devices, notebooks, and folders marked “confidential” and “secret.”
Allegations of Mishandling Classified Materials
Prosecutors allege that Bolton used personal email accounts — including AOL and Google addresses — to send and store classified national defense information while serving as national security adviser during President Trump’s first term.
According to the indictment, Bolton sent more than 1,000 pages of sensitive material to unauthorized individuals, including diary-like entries that summarized classified meetings and intelligence briefings.
“The FBI’s investigation revealed that John Bolton allegedly transmitted top secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house in direct violation of federal law,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Weaponization of justice will not be tolerated, and this FBI will stop at nothing to bring to justice anyone who threatens our national security.”
Federal authorities say Bolton maintained handwritten notes and summaries of classified material, which he later typed and emailed to outside recipients. Some of the transmissions allegedly included information related to weapons of mass destruction and U.S. strategic communications.
Bolton Denies Charges, Calls Case Political
Bolton strongly denied the allegations, calling the charges politically motivated and intended to silence his criticism of President Trump.
“Now, I have become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he deems to be his enemies,” Bolton said in a statement. “In four years of the prior administration, after these reviews, no charges were ever filed. Then came Trump 2, who embodies what Stalin’s secret police chief once said: ‘You show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime.’”
He added that dissent and disagreement “are foundational to America’s constitutional system” and vowed to fight the charges in court.
Evidence Seized and Legal Defense
Court filings show that during their search, agents recovered folders marked “confidential” and “secret,” along with materials connected to the U.S. mission to the United Nations and U.S. nuclear policy.
Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell — who has represented high-profile clients in complex federal matters — dismissed the charges as “misguided.”
“These materials, many of which had been previously approved through pre-publication review for Ambassador Bolton’s book, were reviewed and closed years ago,” Lowell said.
According to the FBI, agents also retrieved sensitive materials from a secure compartmented information facility (SCIF) inside Bolton’s home. A recently unsealed affidavit suggests that Bolton’s personal email account had been compromised by a foreign hacker believed to be linked to Iran, potentially exposing classified information.
Context and Background
Bolton previously faced scrutiny from the Justice Department in 2020 over his memoir The Room Where It Happened, which portrayed then-President Trump as erratic and unfit for office. That earlier probe ended without charges after a National Security Council classification expert, Ellen Knight, concluded that the book did not contain classified material.
Knight later accused Trump administration officials of trying to pressure her into falsely claiming otherwise to block the book’s release.
Bolton, a longtime foreign policy hawk and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush, has remained a vocal critic of President Trump since leaving the administration. His hardline views on Iran and national security made him a target of an Iranian assassination plot in 2021 — a threat that prompted FBI involvement but, according to reports, did not result in continued government protection under the current administration. Reports also indicate that Trump removed Bolton’s Secret Service detail upon returning to office.
Broader Political Implications
Bolton’s indictment is one of several high-profile legal actions in recent weeks involving figures connected to or critical of President Trump, following other federal probes and indictments that have roiled Washington. The cases have intensified partisan debate, with allies of the president arguing for even-handed enforcement and critics accusing the administration of political retaliation.
