John Bolton, former U.S. national security adviser under President Donald Trump, was charged on Thursday in a sweeping federal indictment accusing him of unlawfully sharing classified information with his wife and daughter for possible inclusion in a book project.
The indictment, filed in federal court in Maryland, marks the third time in recent weeks that the Justice Department has brought criminal charges against one of Trump’s prominent critics.
It charges Bolton with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of retaining national defense information under the Espionage Act, offenses that each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. No court appearance date has yet been scheduled.
According to prosecutors, Bolton sent electronic messages to his relatives between April 2018 and August 2025, containing sensitive notes from high-level meetings, discussions with foreign leaders, and intelligence briefings.
The indictment said the three often discussed incorporating some of the material into a book, with Bolton referring to his relatives as his “editors.” In one exchange, he reportedly wrote, “Talking with [book publisher] because they have a right of first refusal!”
Two people familiar with the matter identified the unnamed relatives as Bolton’s wife and daughter.
In a statement, Bolton said he “look[s] forward to the fight to defend [his] lawful conduct and to expose this abuse of power.” His attorney, Abbe Lowell, insisted that Bolton “did not unlawfully share or store any classified information.”
Asked about the charges, President Trump told reporters at the White House, “He’s a bad guy.” The indictment follows Trump’s ongoing campaign to target perceived political enemies.
Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has publicly pressured Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue investigations into his critics, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Comey is currently facing charges of making false statements to Congress and obstruction, while James has been indicted on bank fraud-related charges, both cases widely viewed as politically motivated.
Prosecutors allege Bolton shared more than a thousand pages of notes from his tenure as national security adviser, including top-secret details of intelligence assessments and policy deliberations.
The indictment also revealed that after Bolton left government service, his personal email account, which contained classified materials, was hacked by a “cyber actor” linked to the Iranian government.
While Bolton’s representatives informed authorities of the breach, prosecutors said they failed to report that he had stored restricted information in the account.
Bolton, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations before joining Trump’s White House, became one of Trump’s most outspoken critics after leaving his post.
In his 2024 memoir, he described the former president as “unfit for office” and accused him of endangering national security.
The indictment was signed by Maryland U.S. Attorney Kelly Hayes and several career prosecutors, including Thomas Sullivan, head of the office’s national security division.
Despite that, legal analysts warned that the case could deepen perceptions of politically selective justice.
Earlier this year, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced scrutiny for sharing sensitive details about a planned military strike in Yemen with family members and a journalist via a Signal group chat, an act experts said could also fall under the Espionage Act.
The Justice Department quickly closed that case without charges.
Bolton’s indictment, one of the most serious under the Espionage Act in recent years, underscores the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive stance toward political opponents, even as critics question whether the law is being applied evenly.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
