Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton was indicted Thursday on 18 counts connected to the alleged mishandling of classified information, Fox News Digital has learned.
According to the indictment, Bolton faces eight counts of transmitting National Defense Information and ten counts of unlawfully retaining National Defense Information.
“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—with two unauthorized individuals, namely Individuals 1 and 2,” the indictment reads.
“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 in Montgomery County, Maryland,” it adds.
The documents Bolton allegedly transmitted were sent to two individuals unauthorized to view classified information, according to the DOJ.
Fox News added, citing the Justice Dept.:
Those documents, according to the indictment, revealed intelligence about future attacks by an adversarial group in another country; a liaison partner sharing sensitive information with the U.S. intelligence community; intelligence that a foreign adversary was planning a missile launch in the future; a covert action in a foreign country that was related to sensitive intergovernmental actions; sensitive sources and methods used to collect human intelligence; intelligence about an adversary’s knowledge of planned U.S. actions; intelligence about adversary’s plans for attack conducted against U.S. Forces in another country;
Human intelligence using sensitive sources and methods; a covert action program; intelligence collected on the leader of an adversary nation’s military group; intelligence on an adversary’s leaders; intelligence concerning a foreign country’s interactions with an adversary; a direct statement collected via intelligence sources and methods on a foreign country; a foreign country’s intelligence describing an adversary’s planned attack on a facility;
Sensitive sources and methods used to collect intelligence on a foreign country; a covert action and sources and methods used; intelligence on covert action planned by the U.S. Government; intelligence confirming a foreign adversary was responsible for an attack; and intelligence on covert action conducted by the U.S. Government, a liaison partner country, and specific information about the action.
Each of those documents was classified “TOP SECRET.”
The documents Bolton allegedly retained contained highly sensitive national security information, according to the indictment, per Fox News. One document detailed intelligence about a planned attack by a hostile group abroad, while another described intelligence shared by foreign partners with the U.S. intelligence community.
Additional materials reportedly included information on an adversary’s planned missile launch, a covert U.S. operation in a foreign country, and the methods used to gather human intelligence, said Fox.
Other classified records outlined an adversary’s awareness of planned U.S. military actions, intelligence on potential attacks targeting American forces overseas, and information collected on the leader of a foreign adversary’s military organization.
Additional documents contained intelligence regarding a foreign nation’s dealings with a U.S. adversary, as well as reports from a foreign intelligence service detailing an adversary’s planned attack on a facility.
Other materials included intelligence confirming that a foreign adversary was behind a specific attack and information indicating that another country was weighing the use of military force against a rival state, among other sensitive disclosures, said the outlet, citing the DOJ’s indictment.
Those documents ranged in classification from “SECRET” to “TOP SECRET.”
Bolton is scheduled to appear in court in Maryland Friday morning.
“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,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
“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,” he added.