Washington: Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton has been charged with 18 criminal counts related to the unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information, according to court documents unsealed Thursday. The indictment accuses the veteran diplomat and one-time top Trump administration official of sharing more than 1,000 pages of sensitive government materials with family members through personal notes and correspondence.
Federal prosecutors allege that Bolton, 76, maintained detailed diary-style notes containing classified information regarding U.S. defense operations, intelligence briefings, and foreign policy deliberations. The documents were reportedly shared through a personal email account, which investigators believe was later hacked by an entity linked to Iran.
The 44-page indictment details repeated violations of the Espionage Act, including the unauthorized “retention, removal, and dissemination of classified defense information.” Prosecutors claim Bolton “knowingly and willfully” transmitted details of sensitive national security matters without clearance, endangering U.S. intelligence protocols.
Bolton’s attorney, however, denied all wrongdoing, asserting that the information cited in the indictment was not classified at the time of communication and that his client had “strictly followed all clearance procedures.” The defense is expected to challenge the classification status of the materials and the timeline of their alleged disclosure.
Bolton, a long-time conservative foreign policy hawk, served as National Security Adviser under President Donald Trump from April 2018 until September 2019. His tenure was marked by sharp disagreements with the president over key policy areas, including Iran’s nuclear program, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and denuclearization talks with North Korea.
He was dismissed by Trump after months of internal conflict, later publishing a memoir critical of the administration’s foreign policy decisions. The book, “The Room Where It Happened,” led to a separate legal battle over alleged publication of classified information a case that was ultimately dropped without criminal charges.
The indictment adds a new dimension to Bolton’s legal troubles, alleging that his personal email account was compromised by a hacker group believed to have ties to the Iranian government. Federal investigators say the breach occurred after Bolton allegedly transmitted classified material to a close relative through the same account.
While U.S. intelligence officials have not publicly confirmed the identity of the hackers, early analysis points to a cyber-espionage group linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) raising fears that sensitive U.S. defense information may have been exposed to foreign adversaries.
The investigation began prior to President Trump’s second term, but the timing of the indictment has sparked debate in Washington. Critics of the administration argue that the case could intensify concerns over the politicization of the Justice Department, particularly against figures who have publicly opposed the former president.
A senior Justice Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, dismissed such allegations, saying, “This prosecution is based solely on evidence gathered through a long-running national security investigation, independent of politics.”
If convicted on all counts, Bolton could face decades in federal prison, though legal experts suggest that plea negotiations or a narrower set of charges are possible as the case unfolds.
The indictment of a former national security adviser one of the most senior national security officials in the U.S. government marks an extraordinary moment in American political and legal history. It underscores the persistent tension between government transparency and national security, and raises difficult questions about how classified information is handled by senior officials after leaving office.
Bolton, once a central figure in shaping U.S. foreign policy, now finds himself at the center of a sweeping criminal case that could redefine the boundaries of accountability for those entrusted with the nation’s most sensitive secrets.