Politics

BOLTON INDICTED! Ex-Trump National Security Adviser SLAPPED With Charges for Mishandling Classified Info

posted by Hannity Staff - 10.16.25

John Bolton’s hawkish career just hit turbulence — from inside a federal courtroom.

A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted former Trump national security adviser John Bolton on 18 counts of illegally retaining or transmitting sensitive national security information — a stunning fall for a man once seen as a pillar of the GOP foreign-policy establishment.

The Greenbelt, Maryland indictment alleges that Bolton used a personal AOL email account to send classified or sensitive materials to outside contacts while serving in the first Trump administration.

Bolton, 76, served as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser from April 2018 until his dismissal in September 2019. At the time, he publicly insisted he left office without any classified material.

But investigators now say several communications remained on his personal AOL account, later compromised by a foreign hack, according to a probable-cause warrant unsealed last month.

Federal agents searched Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C. office on Aug. 22 in connection with the probe — which FBI sources told The Post had been “shelved” during Joe Biden’s administration, only to be revived under Trump’s Justice Department.

According to court filings, agents recovered documents related to weapons of mass destruction, U.N. strategy, high-level communications, and secret travel memos.

Even absent intent to distribute, prosecutors argue that Bolton violated security law by storing materials where unauthorized actors could access them — including via his unsecured personal email.

Investigators were also instructed to determine whether the former U.N. ambassador installed security software or used tools to detect malware, though it remains unclear if any were found.

Trump appointed Bolton as his national security adviser in April 2018, mainly to project strength on Iran and North Korea. But the relationship soured quickly.

Trump came to see Bolton as a “warmonger” who constantly pushed for military action — particularly against Iran, Venezuela, and North Korea — positions that clashed with Trump’s more cautious, America-First approach.

This story is developing…

Thank you for visiting Hannity.com. You are about to leave
Hannity.com and proceed to a site owned and operated by a third party.
Hannity.com has no control over the content of this third-party site.
Click OK to proceed.
OK
X
You may if you would no longer like to receive a newsletter.
You have been successfully unsubscribed!
Please see our Terms of Use and Privacy Notice .
If you have any questions or concerns please contact us.