John Bolton Surrenders to Authorities After Indictment for Mishandling Classified Materials
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton surrendered to federal authorities on Friday after being indicted on 18 counts related to the alleged unlawful retention and transmission of classified national security information. The longtime GOP foreign policy figure turned himself in at the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, hours after the charges were publicly unsealed.
According to the indictment, Bolton, 76, routinely shared highly sensitive materials — some labeled Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) — with unauthorized recipients, including his wife and daughter. The classified content included detailed handwritten notes from his time in the Trump White House, transcripts of meetings, information on U.S. military operations, and insights into foreign adversaries.
Prosecutors allege that Bolton transmitted portions of these materials through his personal AOL email account and via unsecured commercial messaging platforms. Among the revelations: more than 1,000 pages of diary-like entries were sent over a span of nearly a year and a half. Investigators believe these transmissions continued from April 2018 through September 2019, during Bolton’s tenure under President Donald Trump.
Federal authorities said the security breaches came to light when Iranian-linked hackers infiltrated Bolton’s AOL account in 2021, potentially gaining access to classified information. The hack came as Tehran ramped up threats against several Trump-era officials following the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike — a strike Bolton was instrumental in coordinating.
Court records also reveal that FBI agents raided Bolton’s Bethesda, Maryland home and Washington, D.C. office on August 22. They seized numerous classified materials related to U.S. missions abroad, nuclear weapons policy, and secure travel operations.
Bolton, a vocal Trump critic since his departure from the administration, maintains his innocence and has cast the charges as politically motivated. In a statement issued before his court appearance, he said:
“For four decades, I have devoted my life to America’s foreign policy and national security. I would never compromise those goals. This indictment is a partisan effort to silence dissent and punish those who refuse to toe the line.”
Bolton faces up to 10 years in prison for each of the 18 counts — a staggering potential sentence that could total 180 years behind bars if convicted on all charges.
The indictment marks yet another dramatic turn in the Justice Department’s crackdown on the mishandling of classified materials, coming amid similar cases involving other former senior officials. It also intensifies the political and legal spotlight on former members of the Trump administration, several of whom — including former FBI Director James Comey and New York AG Letitia James — have faced criminal charges in recent weeks.
Attorney General Pam Bondi released a statement Friday morning reiterating the administration’s stance:
“No one is above the law. These charges are serious, and they reflect a commitment to protecting our nation’s secrets, regardless of who violates that trust.”
Bolton is expected to be released pending trial, though prosecutors have not ruled out additional charges or co-conspirators tied to the leak.