Former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded not guilty to 18 charges related to the alleged improper handling of classified documents after he was arraigned Friday morning before a federal court in Maryland.
Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, was photographed by reporters leaving his Bethesda home on his way to surrender at the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland. When asked for comment, he remained silent before entering the building.
During his initial appearance, Magistrate Judge Timothy Sullivan asked Bolton if he had reviewed the indictment against him and understood the charges.
“I do, your honor,” Bolton said. When asked how he wanted to plead to the 18 counts, Bolton said he was “not guilty.”
Bolton was released on his own recognizance. He may travel domestically but will have to seek approval before he can travel internationally, and he was required to surrender his passport and other travel documents to his defense counsel.
The indictment, unsealed Thursday, accuses Bolton of transmitting and retaining more than 1,000 pages of classified “diary-like entries” containing information marked up to TOP SECRET/SCI level. Federal prosecutors said Bolton sent the materials to two relatives, reportedly his wife and daughter, who were not authorized to view them and later failed to alert the FBI that his personal email account had been compromised in a 2021 cyberattack allegedly carried out by Iran.
“From April 9, 2018, through August 22, 2025, Bolton abused his position by sharing information relating to the national defense, including classified intelligence, with two unauthorized individuals,” the charging documents read.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the evidence showed Bolton “transmitted top secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house in direct violation of federal law.” Patel praised the case as “meticulous work” by career agents and said, “Weaponization of justice will not be tolerated.”
Bolton pushed back sharply, casting the prosecution as a political vendetta.
“I have become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts,” he said in a statement Thursday. “Then came Trump 2, who embodies what Joseph Stalin’s head of secret police once said, ‘You show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime.’”
Bolton argued that the charges stem from a retribution campaign against him that began after the release of his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened, which sharply criticized Trump’s foreign policy. The first Trump administration sought to block the book’s publication, alleging that it contained classified material. The Biden Justice Department later declined to prosecute.
Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, told the Associated Press that his client’s writings were personal reflections, not espionage.
“Bolton kept diaries — that is not a crime,” Lowell said. “He did not unlawfully share or store any information. These facts were known to the FBI years ago.”
In his statement, Bolton said the case represents a broader effort by Trump to silence dissent.
“These charges are not just about his focus on me or my diaries, but his intensive effort to intimidate his opponents, to ensure that he alone determines what is said about his conduct,” Bolton said. “Dissent and disagreement are foundational to America’s constitutional system, and vitally important to our freedom.”
Following the FBI’s August raid on Bolton’s home and office, Trump remarked, “He’s not a smart guy. But he could be a very unpatriotic guy. We’re going to find out.”
FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER JOHN BOLTON INDICTED
Former federal prosecutors have said the government’s case appears strong given the scope of classified materials involved. Prosecutors allege Bolton possessed intelligence on planned foreign attacks, allied intelligence-sharing, and covert operations, none of which he had authorization to store or transmit.
Bolton is due back in federal court on Nov. 21 for a scheduling conference before U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, an appointee of former President Barack Obama.