Former National Security Advisor John Bolton on Thursday addressed a federal grand jury indictment charging him with 18 felonies, claiming the case is part of a broader effort by a politicized Justice Department to target political opponents.
Bolton faces 18 charges in total: 10 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information and eight counts of transmitting national defense information. The charges stem from his tenure as National Security Advisor during former President Donald Trump’s administration.
According to Just the News, Bolton appeared at a Maryland courthouse on Friday, where he was expected to surrender and plead not guilty.
“I have become the latest target in the weaponization of the Justice Department—charged with offenses that were previously declined or that misrepresent the facts,” Bolton said in a statement.
The indictment follows a long-standing dispute between Bolton and the federal government. In 2020, the Justice Department sued Bolton over his memoir, The Room Where It Happened, accusing him of breaching his nondisclosure agreement by failing to complete a pre-publication review for classified content. That civil lawsuit eventually led to a criminal investigation into whether Bolton disclosed classified material.
Though the Biden administration closed the criminal probe in 2021, Bolton called the decision a “complete vindication” at the time, telling Axios, “They’re just giving up.”
However, the federal judge overseeing the memoir case ruled that Bolton “likely published classified materials,” which could have caused harm to national security and exposed him to civil and possibly criminal liability.
In response to the current indictment, Bolton pointed to prior reviews of his book by career clearance officials, claiming the publication was properly vetted. He also criticized efforts by the Trump administration to block the book’s release.
The indictment includes a 2021 report from Bolton’s representative to the FBI, alleging one of Bolton’s personal accounts had been hacked by Iranian operatives. The representative reportedly did not indicate that classified information had been accessed or shared.
Bolton emphasized that the FBI was fully informed about the incident, noting that during four years under the Trump administration, no charges were brought against him following multiple reviews.
“These charges are not just about me or my writings,” Bolton said. “They reflect [Trump’s] broader effort to silence dissent and control the narrative around his conduct. Dissent is a core part of our constitutional system and essential to our freedom.”
“I look forward to defending my actions and exposing this abuse of power,” he added.
According to the indictment, from April 9, 2018, through August 22, 2025, Bolton allegedly “abused his position” by sharing over 1,000 pages of sensitive information about his time as National Security Advisor—including material classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level—with two unauthorized individuals.
He is also accused of unlawfully retaining documents and handwritten notes containing national defense information, which were found at his home in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The Department of Justice alleges that the classified materials transmitted included intelligence on a planned attack by a hostile group, details shared by foreign intelligence partners, information on an adversary’s missile launch, a covert U.S. operation abroad, and methods used in human intelligence gathering.
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