Former White House national security adviser John Bolton arrives at U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, to surrender and face an initial appearance on charges of mishandled classified information, in Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S., October 17, 2025.
Leah Millis | Reuters
John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security advisor, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of mishandling classified information, multiple news outlets reported.
Bolton, 76, made his initial appearance in federal court in Maryland one day after being indicted by a grand jury, becoming the latest Trump foe to face criminal charges.
Former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James have also been indicted on criminal charges within the last month.
Bolton is charged with 18 counts of possession and retention of materials related to national defense.
He faces up to 10 years in prison on each count if convicted, though federal sentencing guidelines would likely recommend a much less severe punishment.
The 26-page indictment alleges Bolton shared classified information with two relatives while he was Trump’s national security advisor from April 2018 through September 2019.
Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said that the former national security advisor did not share or store any information unlawfully.
“The underlying facts in this case were investigated and resolved years ago,” Lowell said in a statement Thursday.
Bolton in his own statement said he was being targeted because of his opposition to Trump.
The charges, he said, are about Trump’s “intensive effort to intimidate his opponents, to ensure that he alone determines what is said about his conduct.”
