{"id":2499760,"date":"2025-10-16T17:16:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T21:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-trump-national-security-adviser-john-bolton-indicted\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T17:17:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T21:17:16","slug":"former-trump-national-security-adviser-john-bolton-indicted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-trump-national-security-adviser-john-bolton-indicted\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton indicted"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fformer-trump-national-security-adviser-john-bolton-indicted%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2499760&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-to-pardon-gen-michael-flynn-per-report\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump to Pardon Gen. Michael Flynn, Per Report\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/we-got-it-newsmax-reporter-emerald-robinson-national-security-source-confirms-a-piece-of-hardware-has-been-secured-in-germany\/\" title=\"We Got It! - Newsmax Reporter Emerald Robinson: National Security Source Confirms &quot;A Piece of Hardware Has Been Secured&quot; in Germany\">national security<\/a> adviser<\/a> to President Donald Trump, John Bolton, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Maryland on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal agents searched Bolton&#8217;s Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office in August, seizing phones, computers, and documents marked as &#8220;secret&#8221; and &#8220;confidential,&#8221; some related to weapons of mass destruction and allied military operations.The investigation dates back to the final months of Trump&#8217;s first term and continued into the Biden administration, intensifying earlier this year. The inquiry originally focused on Bolton&#8217;s 2020 book,which the government said contained classified material,though the book was ultimately published. Recently, evidence showed that a foreign entity hacked bolton&#8217;s personal email, prompting renewed scrutiny. Bolton, once a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a vocal critic of Trump after leaving the administration in 2019, faces a criminal case overseen by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/clinton-appointed-judge-blocks-desantis-on-penalizing-big-tech-for-censorship\/\" title=\"Clinton-Appointed Judge Blocks DeSantis On Penalizing Big Tech For Censorship\">federal judge appointed<\/a> by Barack Obama. Trump has publicly disparaged Bolton amid the legal developments.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton indicted<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2239206\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a>&lsquo;s former national security adviser,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/john-bolton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John Bolton<\/a>,&nbsp;was&nbsp;indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maryland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Maryland<\/a>&nbsp;on charges related to the mishandling of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3821701\/classified-documents-found-during-search-john-bolton-office-fbi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">classified information<\/a>, according to court filings and people familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n<p>The indictment, brought by the&nbsp;U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s Office in Greenbelt, Maryland, was not immediately available for public viewing but was listed on online federal court records Thursday afternoon. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, an appointee of former President Barack Obama.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3853624\/trump-hamas-warning-executions\/\">Trump fires warning shot at Hamas over executions: &#8216;We will have no choice but to go in and kill them&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3853865\/obama-presidential-center-becomes-target-of-online-trolling\/\">Obama Presidential Center becomes target of online trolling<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3853203\/jennifer-welch-slams-regressed-jd-vance-for-dismissing-racist-chat\/\">Podcaster Jennifer Welch slams &#8216;regressed&#8217; JD Vance for dismissing racist chat<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">National security adviser John Bolton, left, listens to President Donald Trump, far right, speak during a working lunch with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Trump&rsquo;s private Mar-a-Lago club, April 18, 2018, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo\/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Federal agents&nbsp;searched Bolton&rsquo;s Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office on Aug. 22, seizing cellphones, computers, and folders labeled &ldquo;Trump I&ndash;IV&rdquo; and a binder titled&nbsp;&ldquo;Statements and Reflections to Allied Strikes.&rdquo; Investigators also recovered documents marked &ldquo;secret&rdquo; and &ldquo;confidential&rdquo; referencing weapons of mass destruction and allied military operations, according to unsealed warrant materials.<\/p>\n<p>Bolton&rsquo;s attorney, Abbe Lowell,&nbsp;did not respond to a request for comment but said last month that an &ldquo;objective and thorough review will show nothing inappropriate was stored or kept by Amb. Bolton.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FBI agents carry boxes from former national security adviser John Bolton&rsquo;s office in Washington, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (AP Photo\/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The criminal investigation into Bolton traces back to the&nbsp;final months of Trump&rsquo;s first term&nbsp;and quietly continued during the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/biden-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Biden administration<\/a>, before intensifying earlier this year under Attorney General&nbsp;Pam Bondi. That extended timeline distinguishes the case from recent indictments of&nbsp;James Comey&nbsp;and&nbsp;Letitia James, both of which originated after Trump&rsquo;s return to power.<\/p>\n<p>During Trump&rsquo;s first term, the DOJ&rsquo;s investigation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/877913\/doj-opens-criminal-inquiry-into-john-bolton-book\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">initially centered on Bolton&rsquo;s 2020 <\/a>book,&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Room-Where-Happened-White-Memoir\/dp\/1982148039\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir<\/a><\/em>, which the government said contained information based on classified material. While a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >federal judge ultimately allowed<\/a> the book&rsquo;s publication, he agreed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1159531\/judge-denies-white-house-request-to-block-bolton-book-but-warns-it-likely-contains-classified-information\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bolton likely disclosed sensitive and classified information<\/a> without final clearance.<\/p>\n<p>After Trump left office in 2021, the FBI kept an investigation open at a lower level that did not ultimately progress. The investigation became more active this year when CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly gave FBI Director Kash Patel limited access to CIA-collected intelligence gathered overseas&nbsp;that indicated that a foreign entity had accessed Bolton&rsquo;s personal email account. That tip led investigators to recenter the case, culminating in the August searches of his properties in Maryland and Washington.<\/p>\n<p>A partially unsealed affidavit from the FBI detailed a section labeled&nbsp;&ldquo;Hack of Bolton&rsquo;s AOL Account by Foreign Entity,&rdquo; which described how U.S. intelligence discovered the intrusion during surveillance of a foreign government.<\/p>\n<p>Bolton, 76, was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations&nbsp;under President George W. Bush before joining Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-refuses-to-denounce-antifa-despite-group-continuing-to-wreak-havoc-across-u-s\/\" title=\"White House refuses to denounce Antifa despite group continuing to wreak havoc across U.S.\">national security team<\/a> in 2018.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3850532\/what-to-know-trump-charges-john-bolton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WHAT TO KNOW AS POSSIBLE CHARGES LOOM FOR EX-TRUMP ADVISER JOHN BOLTON<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The former national security adviser has made a name for himself as one of the most vocal critics of Trump despite having previously been part of his inner circle, frequently taking to the airwaves to criticize the president&rsquo;s foreign policy work. After Bolton&rsquo;s ouster in 2019 due to public and private policy clashes, he called Trump &ldquo;unfit for office&rdquo; and &ldquo;reckless in matters of national security.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump has referred to Bolton as a &ldquo;lowlife&rdquo; and a very &ldquo;unpatriotic guy,&rdquo; and previously denied having any foreknowledge of the FBI raid on Bolton&rsquo;s home earlier this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Bolton indicted over classified info mishandling<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2499763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/AP22222534006577.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[15074,44998,44826,5894,3634],"class_list":["post-2499760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-indictment","tag-john-bolton","tag-national-security-adviser","tag-politics","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/AP22222534006577.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2499760"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2499764,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2499760\/revisions\/2499764"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2499763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2499760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2499760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2499760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}