President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is preparing to prosecute a former Trump administration official for knowingly mishandling classified material. Late Thursday, a federal grand jury in Maryland handed down an indictment against John Bolton, a longtime foreign policy hawk who served as National Security Advisor (NSA) in the first Trump administration.

“As the National Security Advisor, Bolton had access to some of the U.S. Government’s most sensitive and closely guarded national secrets,” the indictment stated, noting that Bolton had to sign “numerous non-disclosure agreements” pledging not to share or publicize the information he obtained as NSA. “Bolton had access to, and was responsible for the safeguarding of, the most sensitive national defense information, including classified information.”

While serving as NSA, the government installed and approved a “Sensitive Compartments Information Facility (SCIF)” in Bolton’s home in Maryland, allowing him to handle and keep even “TOP SECRET” documents. After Bolton’s tenure as NSA ended, his home was “decertified” as a SCIF, in October of 2019, and he was no longer legally permitted to keep or handle classified materials. “At no point, including the period when Bolton had an accredited SCIF in his home, was Bolton authorized to store or transmit classified information on unclassified systems such as an America Online (‘AOL’) email account, a Google email account, a non-governmental commercial messaging application, or other non-governmental systems,” the indictment emphasized. But according to the charges, that’s what Bolton did.

“From on or about April 9, 2018, through at least on or about August 22, 2025, Bolton abused his position as National Security Advisor by sharing more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor — including information relating to the national defense which was classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level,” the indictment averred. “Bolton also unlawfully retained documents, writings, and notes relating to the national defense, including information classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level, in his home…”

Throughout 2018 and 2019, Bolton shared “diary-like entries” with two relatives (referred to in the indictment as “Individual 1” and “Individual 2” and identified by media outlets as his wife and daughter), neither of whom held any U.S. security clearance. “Bolton wrote many of these diary-like entries by transcribing his hand-written notes from his day’s activities into word processing documents, which he then electronically sent to Individuals 1 and 2 through a commercial non-governmental messaging application,” the indictment stipulated. “On other occasions, Bolton used his personal non-governmental email accounts, such as email accounts hosted by AOL and Google, to email information classified up to the TOP SECRET/SCI level to individuals 1 and/or 2 at their personal email accounts.”

In July 2021, an agent of the Islamic Republic of Iran “hacked Bolton’s personal email account and gained unauthorized access to the classified and national defense information in that account,” the indictment noted. Although Bolton did inform the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the hack in 2021, the indictment charges that he did not inform authorities that his personal email accounts contained highly classified information or that he had emailed such information to his wife and daughter.

Much of the information Bolton sent via email was intended to be part of his book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” published in 2020. He referred to his wife and daughter as his “editors.” The book was submitted for review to the White House in late December of 2019 but pressure grew on Bolton and publishers for the book to be published when the former NSA was called to testify against Trump before Congress in the president’s first impeachment trial. The Trump administration tried to halt publication of the book, citing concerns over the violation of non-disclosure agreements and a potential threat to national security.

Bolton later entered into a settlement agreement with the White House, agreeing to return all classified documents and materials in his possession, including hard copies and electronic copies of his “diary” entries, notes, and drafts of his book. However, when the FBI raided Bolton’s home in August of 2025, agents discovered that Bolton had kept many of these materials. The indictment noted that Bolton has been openly critical of the mishandling of classified information and the use of non-governmental and personal messaging systems and applications to discuss or share classified information, taking particular aim at the second Trump administration’s Signal app group chat fiasco earlier this year.

Bolton was charged with eight counts of illegally sharing or disclosing classified information and 10 counts of illegally retaining or storing classified information. In a statement responding to the charges, the former NSA accused the president of unjustly targeting him due to Bolton’s frequent criticism of the Trump administration. “In four years of the prior administration, after these reviews, no charges were ever filed,” he said. “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 added, “Now, 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.”

“The FBI’s investigation revealed that John Bolton allegedly transmitted top secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house in direct violation of federal law,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. Responding to Bolton’s allegations of unfair treatment, the FBI director continued, “The case was based on meticulous work from dedicated career professionals at the FBI who followed the facts without fear or favor. Weaponization of justice will not be tolerated, and this FBI will stop at nothing to bring to justice anyone who threatens our national security.”

“The FBI is committed to protecting classified information to keep Americans safe. Anyone entrusted with this knowledge takes an oath and has a duty to safeguard it,” Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI Baltimore Field Office said. “The charges alleged in this indictment demonstrate there will be consequences for those who violate this responsibility,” he added.

Bolton surrendered to authorities Friday morning and appeared at the district courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland for his first court appearance.