Former Trump nationwide safety adviser John Bolton has pleaded not responsible to all 18 counts of an indictment charging him with illegal retention and dissemination of nationwide protection data.
Bolton entered his not responsible plea Friday morning in a listening to in federal court docket in Maryland earlier than Chief Justice of the Peace Decide Timothy Sullivan.
He was indicted by a grand jury Thursday on costs that he allegedly unlawfully transmitted and retained categorized paperwork.
The indictment costs Bolton with eight counts of illegal transmission of nationwide protection data in addition to 10 counts of illegal retention of nationwide protection data.
Seven of the transmissions allegedly occurred through the time when Bolton was serving at Trump’s nationwide safety adviser in 2018 and 2019, whereas one other doc was allegedly despatched by Bolton simply days after President Donald Trump eliminated him from the administration in September of 2019.
The indictment accuses Bolton of abusing his place as nationwide safety adviser by sharing “greater than a thousand pages” of data in “diary-like entries” about his day-to-day actions with two recipients recognized solely as “Particular person 1” and “Particular person 2,” who prosecutors say are Bolton’s relations.
Former White Home nationwide safety adviser John Bolton arrives at U.S. District Courtroom for the District of Maryland, in Greenbelt, Maryland, October 17, 2025.
Leah Millis/Reuters
Sources informed ABC Information that the relations referred to within the indictment as ‘Particular person 1’ and ‘Particular person 2’ are Bolton’s spouse and daughter.
The indictment comes on the heels of the indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Legal professional Normal Letitia James as Trump continues what critics name a campaign of retribution towards his perceived political foes.
Federal brokers in August searched Bolton’s Maryland residence and Washington, D.C., workplace, associated to allegations that Bolton possessed categorized data.
