Federal prosecutors are poised to bring criminal charges against John Bolton, the former National Security Adviser and long-standing critic of ex-President Donald Trump, following a lengthy investigation into his handling of classified information. The move, which could see an indictment as soon as next week, comes after years of scrutiny and a dramatic FBI search of Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C. office in August 2025, according to reports from CNN, NBC News, and New York Daily News.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland, where Bolton resides, has led the investigation, which has accelerated in recent weeks. Prosecutors met on Saturday, October 11, 2025, to finalize the details of a potential indictment, a source familiar with the case told CNN. The Maryland team had previously resisted pressure from Justice Department political leadership to bring charges quickly, but by this weekend, those objections were dropped and preparations for charges moved forward.
The investigation into Bolton is not new. It stretches back years, even predating Trump’s second run for the presidency, and focuses on whether Bolton improperly retained or shared classified materials from his time in government. The probe intensified after intelligence from CIA Director John Ratcliffe prompted the FBI to act, with Director Kash Patel overseeing the subsequent search. According to NBC News, the search warrants were approved by a federal judge and supported by intelligence linking Bolton’s possession of sensitive information to possible violations of the Espionage Act.
During the late August 2025 searches, federal agents seized a trove of documents labeled "secret," "confidential," and "classified," including some related to weapons of mass destruction. Court filings unsealed in late September detailed the scope of the materials, but specifics remain closely guarded. The FBI also took computers, phones, and a USB drive from Bolton’s office, and a collection of drives and documents labeled as referring to "allied strikes" and "Trump I-IV" from his Bethesda, Maryland home. The investigation even references a foreign adversary’s hack of Bolton’s AOL account, discovered during an intelligence operation targeting a foreign government, according to MSNBC.
Bolton, 76, has a long career in public service, including stints as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush, assistant attorney general, and senior State Department official. He was appointed as Trump’s national security adviser in 2018, only to be fired in 2019 after frequent clashes over foreign policy, particularly on issues like Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea. Their relationship soured further when Bolton published a tell-all book in 2020, which painted Trump as impulsive and unprepared—a portrayal the former president vehemently rejected.
Trump publicly called for Bolton’s prosecution in 2020, accusing him on Fox News of releasing "massive amounts of classified, and confidential, but classified information. That’s illegal and you go to jail for that." The Justice Department initially told Bolton that his book manuscript contained classified information, and the investigation was partially reopened this year around that issue. However, federal investigators are also examining other possible leaks and the broader handling of national defense records.
Bolton’s defense has remained steadfast. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, has repeatedly insisted that any documents with classified markings found in Bolton’s possession are decades old, dating back to his service under George W. Bush. "An objective and thorough review will show nothing inappropriate was stored or kept by Ambassador Bolton," Lowell argued in September, as quoted by NBC News and New York Daily News. He further contends that such materials are typical for senior government officials with lengthy careers.
The Justice Department has been tight-lipped about the grand jury proceedings. A spokesperson told NBC News, "As a matter of law, we will not discuss any grand jury matters with the media, but this Justice Department is united as one team in our mission to make America safe again." The spokesperson added that the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General continue to empower U.S. Attorneys "to pursue justice in every case." Despite the secrecy, officials familiar with the case say a Maryland grand jury has been reviewing evidence for several weeks, and the pace has picked up recently. Acting U.S. Attorney for Maryland Kelly Hayes reportedly told colleagues she believes there is enough evidence to justify charging Bolton.
If indicted, Bolton would become the third prominent Trump critic to face federal charges in recent weeks, following former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Both Comey and James have denied wrongdoing and claim they are being targeted for political reasons. Bolton, for his part, has not been charged with any crime as of this writing, but he and James share a criminal defense attorney.
The context of these prosecutions is hard to ignore. Trump’s Justice Department has been aggressive in its charging decisions lately, with a newly appointed U.S. attorney in Northern Virginia securing indictments of several Trump adversaries. The Bolton case, however, is reportedly viewed by prosecutors as distinct from the Comey and James cases, which have faced more internal pushback, according to CNN. The investigators in Bolton’s case managed to convince federal judges in both Maryland and Washington, D.C., that they had enough evidence to justify searching his home and workspace, with the expectation that these searches would uncover records that could become evidence of a crime.
The investigation into Bolton also touches on broader concerns about foreign interference and cybersecurity. Court records reference a foreign adversary hacking Bolton’s email years ago—a detail that underscores the persistent vulnerabilities faced by even the most senior U.S. officials.
Bolton himself has declined to comment on the investigation, and the Justice Department has also refused to discuss specifics. The possibility of a so-called "perp walk"—arresting Bolton in a way visible to cameras—has reportedly been discussed internally, but no decision has been made public.
As the legal drama unfolds, the case has drawn sharp reactions across the political spectrum. Supporters of Trump see the prosecution as a long-overdue reckoning for what they view as the mishandling of national secrets. Critics, however, argue that the wave of indictments against Trump’s political enemies, including Bolton, Comey, and James, is an unprecedented use of the Justice Department to settle political scores. The debate has only intensified as the 2024 election cycle heats up and questions about the rule of law and political retribution loom large.
For now, all eyes are on Maryland, where prosecutors are working through the weekend to finalize their case. Whether Bolton will ultimately be charged—and what the broader implications for American politics and national security might be—remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the fallout from this high-profile investigation is certain to reverberate far beyond the walls of the Justice Department.
