Ex-Trump Adviser John Bolton Faces Charges Over Handling Classified Information

Former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton Charged Over Storing, Sharing Classified Information.

John Bolton, who served as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser during his first term and later became a vocal critic, has been charged with storing highly classified records at home and sharing sensitive government information with relatives. The 18-count indictment alleges that Bolton kept top-secret diary-like notes on his tenure in government and exposed classified material, some of which was accessed by hackers believed to be linked to Iran in 2021.

Bolton’s legal team denies wrongdoing, stating that the documents were personal diaries shared only with close family and previously known to the FBI. They argued that much of the material was unclassified or approved for pre-publication review for Bolton’s 2020 book The Room Where It Happened. Bolton himself called the charges politically motivated, claiming the Justice Department is being “weaponized” to target Trump critics.

The case centers on Bolton’s sharing of more than 1,000 pages of sensitive information, including details about foreign adversaries, intelligence methods, and covert US government operations. Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized that “no one is above the law,” citing national security concerns.

Bolton’s indictment follows prior scrutiny over the handling of classified information in his book, which the Trump administration claimed contained sensitive details that could compromise national security. The court filings note that Bolton’s career spans decades, including roles in the Reagan and Bush administrations, as US ambassador to the UN, and as Trump’s national security adviser, where his tenure ended amid policy disputes with the president.

The case is now set to unfold in Maryland federal court, adding to a series of high-profile prosecutions against former Trump associates and critics, and is expected to draw significant attention due to Bolton’s long-standing influence in US foreign policy and his public criticisms of Trump.