Today's News: Former National Security Advisor John Bolton Indicted for Mishandling Classified Information
The indictment alleges he shared over a thousand pages of classified diary entries, some up to TOP SECRET/SCI level, with two family members who lacked security clearances.
Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post
Overview
Date: October 16, 2025
Summary: John Bolton, former National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump, has been indicted on 18 counts related to the transmission and retention of national defense information. The indictment alleges he shared over a thousand pages of classified diary entries, some up to TOP SECRET/SCI level, with two family members who lacked security clearances, using personal online accounts. This information was later exposed when his personal email was hacked by an entity believed to be associated with Iran. President Trump reacted to the news by calling Bolton “a bad guy.” Bolton and his lawyer deny wrongdoing, asserting the charges are politically motivated and that the underlying facts were previously investigated and resolved. This indictment is presented within a broader context of prosecutions against perceived Trump critics, though the Bolton investigation gained momentum during the Biden administration.
Sources
NBC News - Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton indicted
The Washington Post - Former Trump aide John Bolton indicted over handling of classified material
The Wall Street Journal - Justice Department Indicts Former Trump Adviser John Bolton
Key Points
John Bolton was indicted on 18 counts (8 for transmission, 10 for retention) of national defense information, classified up to TOP SECRET/SCI level.
The indictment alleges Bolton shared over a thousand pages of “diary-like” notes about his activities as National Security Advisor with two family members who lacked security clearances, using personal email and messaging accounts.
Bolton’s personal email account, containing this classified material, was later hacked by an entity believed to be associated with Iran. Bolton’s representative notified the FBI of the hack in July 2021 but not the presence of classified information.
President Donald Trump responded to the news by calling Bolton “a bad guy.”
Bolton and his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, deny wrongdoing, stating the charges are politically motivated and that the underlying facts were previously investigated and resolved, with the records being unclassified personal diaries known to the FBI since 2021.
This indictment is viewed within a broader pattern of recent prosecutions against perceived Trump adversaries, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The investigation into Bolton’s handling of classified information, particularly related to his 2020 memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” has a complex history, involving prior civil and criminal probes by both the first Trump and Biden administrations, which were initially dropped but later reopened.
FBI agents searched Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office in August, seizing documents and electronic devices, some explicitly labeled “classified.”
Unique Highlights
NBC News: FBI Director Kash Patel stated Bolton “allegedly transmitted top secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house.” The article mentioned President Trump’s public urging on Truth Social for action against Comey, James, and Senator Adam Schiff, with an administration official confirming it was meant as a direct message to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The New York Times: Stated that the Bolton prosecution “appeared to follow normal department channels, without firings or forced transfers,” contrasting it with President Trump’s actions in the Comey and James cases. It provided specific quotes from the indictment illustrating Bolton’s awareness of the sensitive nature of the information, such as “The intel briefer said” and “while in the Situation Room, I learned.” The article also detailed a taunting message from the hacker to Bolton, warning of a “scandal since Hillary’s emails were leaked, but this time on the GOP side!” and clarified that “None of the classified information described in the indictment was mentioned in the book.”
The Washington Post: Noted that the indictment was signed by Kelly O. Hayes, a “respected veteran prosecutor” in Maryland, and Tom Sullivan, head of the office’s national security division, distinguishing it from the Comey and James cases. It reported that “senior Justice Department leaders put pressure on the office in Maryland to charge Bolton quickly” due to President Trump’s escalating demands for prosecutions against his perceived foes.
The Wall Street Journal: Identified the recipients of Bolton’s diary entries as his wife and daughter. It reported President Trump’s broader demands for prosecutions, including former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Director Christopher Wray, and former Special Counsel Jack Smith. The article also highlighted that President Trump revoked Bolton’s security clearance and ended his security detail, even after officials said Bolton was the target of an Iranian murder-for-hire plot.
Fox News: Provided an extensive list of the specific types of classified information allegedly transmitted and retained, detailing intelligence about future attacks, covert actions, sensitive sources and methods, and foreign adversaries’ plans. FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized that the case was “based on meticulous work from dedicated career professionals at the FBI who followed the facts without fear or favor.” The article claimed the probe was “later shut down by the Biden administration ‘for political reasons’” before being reopened. It also mentioned Bolton’s strong support for President Trump’s military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities in June, calling it “a decisive action.”
The Guardian: Detailed the Justice Department’s “aggregating factors” for pursuing Espionage Act cases, including “willful mishandling,” “vast quantities,” “disloyalty,” and “obstruction.” It described Bolton’s note-taking process: “handwrote these notes on yellow notepads… and then later re-wrote his notes in a word processing document.” The article also specified that Bolton “left the messaging chat group with Individuals 1 and 2” fourteen days after leaving his National Security Advisor position.
Contrasting Details
Nature of DOJ Investigation and Political Influence:
The New York Times stated the Bolton prosecution “appeared to follow normal department channels, without firings or forced transfers,” contrasting it with President Trump’s alleged interference in the Comey and James cases.
The Washington Post reported that “senior Justice Department leaders put pressure on the office in Maryland to charge Bolton quickly,” suggesting political pressure on the timing of the indictment, even if the case itself was considered stronger.
Fox News claimed that the probe into Bolton was “later shut down by the Biden administration ‘for political reasons’” before being reopened, implying political interference by the Biden administration at an earlier stage.
Classification Status of Bolton’s Diaries/Information:
Bolton’s Lawyer, Abbe Lowell (cited across multiple sources), consistently stated that the records were “unclassified, shared only with his immediate family, and known to the FBI as far back as 2021,” further asserting that “Bolton kept diaries—that is not a crime.”
The Indictment/Prosecutors (cited across multiple sources), however, alleged that the information included “national defense information which was classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level.”
Fox News specifically noted that Bolton’s attorney had previously claimed a senior career official found his book contained no classified information after review, directly contradicting the prosecution’s current allegations regarding the underlying materials.
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