Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of storing top secret documents at his home and sharing classified information.
Bolton, who has become a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump, appeared in court in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Friday for a hearing on the charges.
Bolton, who has indicated he will argue that Trump is targeting him as part of an “effort to intimidate opponents”, was released after a court appearance.
What are the charges against John Bolton?
Bolton was ordered Thursday to maintain and disseminate national defense information. The indictment alleges he shared more than 1,000 pages of information about government activities with relatives.
Bolton served as national security adviser for more than a year during Trump’s first term. He was fired in 2019 and has since become a prominent critic of the president.
FBI agents searched Bolton’s home in August as part of an investigation into the possible misuse of classified documents.
Bolton’s attorney said his client “did not share or store any information unlawfully.”
“These allegations stem from excerpts from Ambassador Bolton’s personal diaries from his 45-year career – records that are declassified, shared only with his immediate family and known to the FBI only as of 2021,” attorney Abbey Lowell told The Associated Press.
“Like many public officials throughout history, Ambassador Bolton kept diaries – this is not a crime.”
What else do we know about Bolton’s indictment?
The indictment was filed in federal court in Maryland, where Bolton’s home was searched over the summer. It charges the former adviser with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of retaining national defense information, all in violation of the Espionage Act.
Should he be convicted, each count faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Prosecutors said in the indictment that between April 2018 and August 2025, Bolton shared more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as national security adviser with two unauthorized people. The documents shared contained top secret information.
The names of the recipients were not disclosed in the indictment.
According to the indictment, the classified information was obtained through a “cyber actor” associated with the Iranian government, who hacked Bolton’s private email in 2021. It said a representative of Bolton had reported the hack but did not mention that he had stored classified information in a personal email account.
What was Trump’s reaction to the impeachment?
President Trump was informed of the news while addressing members of the press in the Oval Office.
He said he was not aware of it but then criticized his former national security adviser.
“I think he’s a bad person,” Trump said. “He’s a bad man.”
He added, “That’s the way it goes, right?”
Bolton, particularly known for his hawkish stance towards Iran, has been very vocal in his criticism of the US leader. In a memoir published last year, Bolton described him as unfit to be president.
Bolton is the third Trump critic to face criminal charges in recent weeks, following New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
Edited by: Zack Crellin and Carl Sexton