Washington, October 17 (Daily Kiran): Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, one of Donald Trump’s most outspoken Republican critics, surrendered to authorities on Friday after being indicted on federal charges of mishandling classified information. He is expected to make his initial court appearance later in the day in Maryland federal court.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, Bolton faces 18 counts under the Espionage Act for allegedly transmitting and retaining highly classified information from his time as national security adviser. The indictment accuses him of sending personal diary entries containing sensitive national security details to two unnamed individuals using personal email and messaging accounts.
The indictment stated:
“Bolton took detailed notes documenting his daily meetings, briefings, and activities at the White House, often describing the secure settings in which he learned classified information. These notes were later rewritten and shared via non-governmental communication channels.”
Bolton, who served in the Trump administration from April 2018 to September 2019, reportedly left a group chat in which he had shared more than 1,000 pages of notes about his tenure, just two weeks after leaving the White House.
The charges make Bolton the third Trump-era critic to face criminal action from the Justice Department in recent weeks. The case reportedly gathered momentum during the Biden administration, following intelligence community concerns over Bolton’s disclosures.
In response to questions about the case, former President Trump told reporters he was unaware of the charges but called Bolton a “bad guy.”
In a statement following his surrender, Bolton said,
“I look forward to the fight to defend my lawful conduct and to expose [Trump’s] abuse of power.”
His attorney, Abbe Lowell, maintained his client’s innocence, saying the allegations are “baseless.”
“These charges stem from portions of Ambassador Bolton’s personal diaries over his 45-year career — records that are unclassified, shared only with family, and known to the FBI since 2021,” Lowell said. “Keeping a diary is not a crime.”
Bolton, who has frequently criticized Trump’s leadership, described the former president as “unfit for office” in his 2024 memoir. The Justice Department, however, insists the case centers on the unauthorized handling of national defense information, not his political views.
The case, opened in 2022, is reportedly viewed by officials as stronger than previous Espionage Act investigations into former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to people familiar with the matter.