Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton was indicted by a grand jury in Maryland on Thursday.
- Counts 1–8: Transmission of National Defense Information
- Counts 9–18: Retention of National Defense Information
Read the indictment here.
If convicted, Bolton is facing decades in prison, which would be a life sentence for him because he is 76 years old.
Bolton was indicted on 18 counts under the Espionage Act.
John Bolton transmitted classified emails over a private server system and they were intercepted by Iran, according to the indictment.
According to the 26-page indictment, Bolton shared the classified documents with two unnamed relatives. While the indictment did not name the relatives, a previous leak to The New York Post revealed that Bolton shared the documents with his wife and daughter.
“From on or about April 9, 2018, through at least on or about August 22, 2025, BOLTON abused his position as National Security Advisor by sharing more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor-including information relating to the national defense which was classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level-with two unauthorized individuals, namely Individuals 1 and 2,” the indictment read.
BOLTON also unlawfully retained documents, writings, and notes relating to the national defense, including information classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level, in his home in Montgomery County, Maryland,” prosecutors said according to the indictment reviewed by The Gateway Pundit.
New John Bolton documents with classified markings were released after the FBI raided his home in August.
The FBI raided John Bolton’s home over the summer.
FBI agents were sent to Bolton’s home because he allegedly sent “highly sensitive” classified materials to family members from a private, unsecured email server while he was working at the White House during the first Trump Administration.
“Investigators reopened a dormant probe into Bolton’s alleged use of a private email to send classified national security documents to his wife and daughter from his work desk before his dismissal by Trump in September 2019, according to a senior US official,” The New York Post reported last week.
The investigation into John Bolton began in 2020 when he used classified information to write his book titled, “The Room Where It Happened.”
Last month, new documents released revealed that John Bolton stored classified information about WMDs and the United Nations.
“Categories of potentially classified records that the FBI reported finding at Bolton’s office included: travel memo documents with a “secret” label; confidential documents from the U.S. mission to the U.N.; confidential documents related to strategic communications; and classified documents related to weapons of mass destruction,” Politico reported.
FBI Director Kash Patel said anyone who threatens national security will be held accountable.
Anyone who threatens our national security will be held accountable. pic.twitter.com/nVuebRqIkq
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 16, 2025
John Bolton’s lawyer told Fox News that Bolton is innocent.
BREAKING: “Resolved years ago.”
John Bolton’s lawyer tells Fox News his client is innocent:
“These charges stem from portions of Amb. Bolton’s personal diaries over his 45-year career – records that are unclassified, shared only with his immediate family…,” Abbe Lowell said. pic.twitter.com/rSfALVfhzu
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 16, 2025
The post Bolton Indicted on 18 COUNTS Under Espionage Act – Shared More Than 1,000 Pages of Highly Classified Information – READ INDICTMENT HERE appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.