GREENBELT, MARYLAND, 18 October (H.S.): John Bolton, a former national security adviser to Donald Trump, has pleaded not guilty to 18 federal charges related to the mishandling of classified information. During a court appearance on Friday, Bolton, 76, entered the plea after surrendering to authorities at a federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The indictment accuses Bolton of illegally retaining and sharing sensitive national defense materials, including top-secret documents, through personal email accounts and messaging apps.

Prosecutors allege these documents contained intelligence on potential attacks and details about foreign adversaries. The charges include eight counts of transmitting and ten counts of retaining national defense information, each carrying a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Bolton, who has become a vocal critic of President Trump since leaving the White House, maintains his actions were lawful and claims he is the latest target in the weaponizing of the Justice Department against the president's political enemies. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, stated that Bolton kept personal diaries, which is not a crime, and that the records in question were unclassified and shared only with immediate family.

The investigation into Bolton began in 2022 and gained public attention in August 2025 when the FBI searched his home and office . The indictment also reveals that Bolton's personal email was reportedly hacked in 2021 by a cyber actor believed to be associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran, potentially exposing the classified materials he had stored there.

Bolton was released on his own recognizance, with a subsequent hearing scheduled for November 21 . This case marks the third time in recent weeks that a prominent political opponent of President Trump has faced criminal charges.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar