WASHINGTON ‒ John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Oct. 17 after he was indicted on charges of mishandling classified documentation.
Bolton surrendered to authorities and turned himself in Friday morning at the Maryland courthouse, where he later pleaded not guilty before a federal judge.
Bolton, who has become an outspoken Trump adversary, is the latest of the president’s perceived enemies charged by the Justice Department following indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
In an 18-count indictment, Bolton is accused of sharing “diary-like” entries with two family members in 2018 and 2019 detailing his activities as national security adviser that included classified information.
Bolton, in a statement, denied the charges and said he is Trump’s “latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those who he deems to be his enemies.”
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“These charges are not just about his focus on me or my diary entries, but his intensive effort to intimidate his opponents,” he said.
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What is John Bolton accused of?
At the center of the indictment are notes and other information that Bolton, on a non-governmental email, sent to two family members in preparation for a book Bolton wrote, “The Room Where it Happened,” published in 2020.
The information allegedly included covert actions planned by the U.S. government, intelligence confirming a foreign adversary was responsible for an attack, and sources and collection methods used to obtain statements of a foreign adversary, according to the indictment.
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Former White House national security adviser John Bolton arrives at U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, in Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S., October 17, 2025.
The indictment alleges that between the time Bolton left the government in September 2019 and July 2021, a hacker believed to be associated with Iran gained access to his email and to classified and national defense information in the account.
Bolton, in his statement, said his book was reviewed by experienced career clearance officials before publication. He said the FBI was made “fully aware” of his hacked email when it happened.
“In four years of the prior administration, after these reviews, no charges were ever filed,” Bolton 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.'”
Trump calls Bolton a ‘bad guy’ after indictment
The FBI searched Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office in August.
Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Bolton, said the underlying facts in the case were investigated and resolved “years ago,” before Trump returned to the Oval Office.
“These charges stem from portions of Ambassador Bolton’s personal diaries over his 45-year career – records that are unclassified, shared only with his immediate family, and known to the FBI as far back as 2021,” he said.
Former White House national security adviser John Bolton arrives at U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, in Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S., October 17, 2025.
The allegations against Bolton are similar to some of those once laid against Trump. A federal prosecution alleging Trump mishandled classified documents and a separate prosecution accusing him of conspiring to steal the 2020 presidential election were both dropped after he won the 2024 election.
Trump said he didn’t know about Bolton’s indictment when asked by a reporter on Oct. 16 shortly after the charges were filed.
“You’re telling me that for the first time,” Trump said. “But I think he’s, you know, a bad person. I think he’s a bad guy. Yeah – he’s a bad guy. It’s too bad, but that’s the way it goes.”
Contributing: Bart Jansen and Aysha Bagchi of USA TODAY
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: John Bolton pleads not guilty in court appearance after indictment
