A federal grand jury indicted former nationwide safety adviser John Bolton on Thursday, a senior Justice Division official mentioned, making him the third critic of President Donald Trump to face felony prices in latest weeks.
Bolton was indicted in federal courtroom in Maryland, the place he lives and the place prosecutors have been investigating whether or not he improperly retained labeled supplies following his acrimonious departure from the primary Trump administration.
Requested concerning the indictment throughout a White Home occasion on Thursday, Trump mentioned, “I didn’t know that” however he’s “a nasty particular person.”
“I believe he’s a nasty man, yeah, he’s a nasty man. Too unhealthy, however that’s the way in which it goes,” Trump mentioned.
The opposite two outstanding Trump adversaries to face prices in latest weeks are former FBI Director James Comey and New York Legal professional Common Letitia James.
Bolton’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, has maintained that the previous diplomat had dealt with information appropriately.
The FBI performed searches of Bolton’s Maryland dwelling and his Washington, D.C., workplace in August. Redacted search warrant purposes confirmed legislation enforcement cited Bolton’s “2020 E book Pre-Publication Evaluation” and the “Hack of Bolton AOL Account by Overseas Entity” as a foundation for possible trigger to look his residence and workplace.
The international entity’s title stays unclear because the part was redacted in filings that have been made public. The guide referred to within the search warrant was Bolton’s “The Room The place It Occurred,” chronicling his tumultuous time as Trump’s nationwide safety adviser.
The 2020 guide turned problematic for Trump even earlier than it was launched throughout his first impeachment.
The case concerned allegations that the president withheld army assist to Ukraine to pressure it to announce an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Bolton mentioned within the guide that Trump had explicitly advised him that’s why he was withholding the help, an account Trump denied.
Trump was acquitted in his Senate trial and known as for Bolton to be prosecuted after his guide was launched.
“He launched large quantities of labeled, and confidential, however labeled data. That’s unlawful and also you go to jail for that,” Trump advised Fox Information in an interview on the time.
Bolton denied that the guide included labeled data.
Courtroom filings associated to the search warrant present the FBI had been investigating Bolton for years. Brokers had interviewed him eight instances between October 2020 and June 2025 at his workplace, in accordance with the applying.
A list of things investigators took from Bolton’s workplace included a number of paperwork described as “labeled,” “confidential” or “secret.” Some have been described as “Weapons of Mass Destruction Categorised Paperwork” and “U.S. Authorities Strategic Communications Plan — Confidential paperwork.”
The costs introduced towards Bolton, Comey and James largely mirror prices and claims that have been introduced towards Trump between his first and second phrases.
Trump was indicted in June of 2023 for retaining and mishandling labeled paperwork from his time within the White Home. He pleaded not responsible, and the case was thrown out on technical grounds by a Trump-appointed decide in 2024.
Two of the opposite prices towards Trump within the paperwork case have been making false statements and conspiracy to hinder justice. The 2 prices towards Comey are making false statements and obstruction of a congressional continuing. He has pleaded not responsible.
James, in the meantime, was charged with financial institution fraud and making false statements to a monetary establishment. The indictment alleges she falsely claimed {that a} dwelling in Norfolk, Virginia, was her second residence, permitting her to acquire favorable mortgage phrases she was not entitled to. The alleged scheme saved her about $50 a month.
James’ workplace sued Trump and his firm in 2022, alleging they have been submitting deceptive monetary statements with banks and insurers, overvaluing and undervaluing his property when it was to his monetary profit, and exaggerating his internet price to the tune of billions of {dollars}.
The scheme enabled Trump and his firm to acquire financial institution loans and insurance coverage insurance policies at charges they weren’t entitled to, and consequently he “reaped lots of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in ill-gotten beneficial properties,” James’ workplace has mentioned.
The case resulted in a $464 million civil judgment towards Trump final 12 months. A divided state appeals courtroom upheld the fraud discovering in August, however tossed the monetary penalty solely, discovering it was “extreme.”
Trump has denied wrongdoing within the case.
James has known as the costs towards her “baseless, and the president’s personal public statements clarify that his solely aim is political retribution at any price.”
The costs towards Comey and James got here after a Sept. 20 submit on Reality Social by Trump urging Legal professional Common Pam Bondi to take motion towards the 2, in addition to Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
“They’re all responsible as hell, however nothing goes to be executed,” the submit mentioned. “We will’t delay any longer.”
An administration official advised NBC Information the general public posting was meant to be despatched to Bondi as a direct message.
