'Trump's Effort To Intimidate His Opponents': John Bolton On Indictment Over Classified Info

Last Updated:October 17, 2025, 07:31 IST

John Bolton has condemned his indictment as a politically motivated vendetta by Donald Trump and accusing the US President Trump of weaponising the Justice Department.

A file photo of John Bolton (AFP)

Donald Trump’s former National Security Advisor John Bolton has sharply condemned his indictment on charges of mishandling classified information, calling it an act by the US President to intimidate his opponents, to ensure that he alone determines what is said about his conduct.

In a statement to US media, Bolton said he had “devoted [his] life to America’s foreign policy and national security" for four decades and would “never compromise those goals."

“I tried to do that during my tenure in the first Trump Administration," he said, “but resigned when it became impossible to do so. Donald Trump’s retribution against me began then, continued when he tried unsuccessfully to block the publication of my book The Room Where It Happened before the 2020 election, and became one of his rallying cries in his re-election campaign."

Bolton, 76, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Maryland on Thursday on 18 counts of transmitting and retaining classified material.

Prosecutors allege he shared over 1,000 pages of “diary-life" entries about national security matters through personal email and messaging apps. Each count carries a potential 10-year prison term.

Bolton dismissed the charges as an attempt to punish dissent.

“Now, I have become the latest target in weaponising the Justice Department to charge those he deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts," he said.

He stressed that his book had been cleared through proper channels.

“My book was reviewed and approved by the appropriate, experienced career clearance officials. When my email was hacked in 2021, the FBI was made fully aware. In four years of the prior administration, after these reviews, no charges were ever filed."

In one of his most pointed remarks, Bolton compared Trump’s tactics to those of Stalin’s secret police chief, saying, “Then came Trump 2, who embodies what Joseph Stalin’s head of secret police once said, ‘You show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime’."

“These charges are not just about his focus on me or my diaries," Bolton continued, “but his intensive effort to intimidate his opponents, to ensure that he alone determines what is said about his conduct. Dissent and disagreement are foundational to America’s constitutional system, and vitally important to our freedom."

Ending his statement, Bolton said, “I look forward to the fight to defend my lawful conduct and to expose his abuse of power."

JOHN BOLTON INDICTED

John Bolton has been charged by a federal grand jury in Maryland with 18 counts of transmitting and retaining classified information.

The 26-page indictment accuses Bolton of sharing top secret documents by email with two “unauthorised individuals" who are not identified but are believed to be his wife and daughter.

It says he shared more than 1,000 pages of “diary-life" entries about his work as national security advisor via non-government email or a messaging app.

The Justice Department said the documents “revealed intelligence about future attacks, foreign adversaries, and foreign-policy relations."

Each of the counts carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

“Anyone who abuses a position of power and jeopardises our national security will be held accountable. No one is above the law," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

Bolton’s indictment follows the filing of criminal charges by the Justice Department against two other prominent critics of Trump, New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI director James Comey.

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Vani Mehrotra

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

News world 'Trump's Effort To Intimidate His Opponents': John Bolton On Indictment Over Classified Info

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