WASHINGTON — John Bolton, who served as United States national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term from 2018 to 2019, was indicted Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025 — marking the third indictment of a high-profile Trump critic in less than a month.
Bolton, indicted by a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, faces 18 charges, including eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of retaining national defense information.
The U.S. Justice Department said in a statement that the grand jury charged Bolton with “serious crimes related to the mishandling of classified information.”
“Like many public officials throughout history, Ambassador Bolton kept diaries — that is not a crime. We look forward to proving once again that Ambassador Bolton did not unlawfully share or store any information,” Bolton’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement quoted by CNN.
Trump’s target
In a separate statement, Bolton said he is a target of Trump’s retribution campaign against perceived political opponents.
Asked about the indictment, Trump told reporters at the White House, “I think he’s a bad person.”
Earlier this year, FBI agents executed search warrants at Bolton’s home in Maryland and his office in Washington, D.C., seizing documents marked “classified,” “secret” and “confidential,” according to court records.
The indictment came less than a month after former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James were indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Bolton has been a vocal critic of Trump since leaving the administration, describing him as “unfit to be president.” / XINHUA