President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser turned critic John Bolton has pleaded not guilty to charges of mishandling classified information.
The 76-year-old seasoned diplomat pleaded not guilty to 18 charges at a court hearing in Greenbelt, Maryland. He was dismissed on personal recognisance and a hearing is scheduled for 21 November.
John Bolton was charged with eight counts of communicating national defence information and 10 counts of possessing national defence information. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors said Bolton kept digital diaries of his activities, which included classified material from his time as national security adviser, and shared them with family members. In the indictment, prosecutors said Bolton shared more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as national security adviser, including Top Secret information, with two unauthorised individuals between April 2018 and August 2025.
In a statement, Bolton denied the allegations and said he had “become another target in turning the Department of Justice into a weapon.”
The filing of charges against Bolton marks the third time in recent weeks that the U.S. Justice Department has sought criminal charges against Trump critics.
Bolton, who has not held a government position since 2019, has criticised Trump for, among other things, not being tough enough on Russia.
In 2020, a year after Trump fired him from his post during his first term, Bolton published a book sharply criticising his former boss. Trump administration officials demanded the removal of a number of passages from the book, claiming that Bolton revealed confidential details in them. A formal investigation was launched against Bolton, but it was stopped by the next president, Joe Biden.