John Bolton, former White House National Security Advisor, surrendered to federal authorities Friday after being indicted on 18 counts related to the improper handling of classified materials. Photographers snapped images of Bolton leaving his home in Bethesda, Md., earlier Friday. He was later captured on news cameras walking into the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Md.
When asked by Fox News at the scene if he had a comment, Bolton just walked into the building.
Bolton was indicted on eight counts of transmission of national defense information and ten counts of retention of national defense information. The indictment states that from April 9, 2018, through August 22, 2025, Bolton allegedly abused his position by sharing over a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities as the National Security Advisor, including details about potential threats to national security. The documents he transmitted were sent to two unauthorized individuals, including information about future attacks by an adversarial group in another country and intelligence that a foreign adversary was planning a missile launch.
The FBI’s investigation revealed that Bolton allegedly transmitted top secret information using personal online accounts and retained said documents in his house in direct violation of federal law. FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized that the case was based on meticulous work by career professionals who followed the facts without fear or favor, stating that weaponization of justice will not be tolerated.
Bolton’s Maryland home had been raided by FBI agents in August, focusing on classified documents that investigators believed he possessed. In a statement to the Associated Press, Bolton referred to the case as a target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, added that the underlying facts in the case were investigated and resolved years ago, stating that Bolton kept diaries, which is not a crime, and that he did not unlawfully share or store any information.
Lowell also noted that the charges Bolton faces are linked to portions of his personal diaries and included unclassified information shared with only immediate family members. The FBI was aware of this dating back to at least 2021. This is a developing story, with updates expected as the legal proceedings unfold.