Politics is a dangerous game. And if you don’t play it right, you may just end up in jail.
Now a Trump official was thrown behind bars after surrendering himself to police.
Bolton’s Arraignment and Plea
Ex-White House National Security Advisor John Bolton entered a not guilty plea to all 18 charges concerning the mishandling of classified documents during his court appearance Friday, following his surrender to authorities in Maryland.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Sullivan outlined the accusations to Bolton, confirming his grasp of them alongside the risks: up to a decade behind bars and $250,000 fines for each offense.
“I do your honor,” Bolton said during his arraignment at the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Md.
The charges encompass eight for transmitting national defense data and ten for retaining it.
Specific Allegations in the Indictment
“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.”
Court documents claim Bolton passed these materials to two people lacking clearance to access secrets.
Among the details allegedly exposed were insights into impending assaults by a hostile entity abroad, a partner nation’s sensitive exchanges with U.S. intelligence, plans for a rival’s missile test, and a hidden operation tied to delicate diplomatic maneuvers, plus additional classified elements.
“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.”
Investigation, Response, and Legal Defense
Media captured Bolton departing his Bethesda, Md., residence Friday morning, with footage later showing him entering the courthouse; he offered no remark to Fox News on site.
The FBI had searched Bolton’s Maryland property in August, zeroing in on suspected classified holdings.
“Now, I have become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts,” Bolton said in a statement Friday to The Associated Press, referencing President Donald Trump.
His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, told the AP that the “underlying facts in this case were investigated and resolved years ago.”
“Bolton kept diaries — that is not a crime,” he said, noting that Bolton “did not unlawfully share or store any information.”
Lowell emphasized to the AP that the accusations revolve around diary excerpts shared solely with close relatives, containing unclassified content, and that the FBI had awareness of this since at least 2021.
