STORY: John Bolton, Donald Trump's former national security adviser, was indicted on Thursday (October 16) on charges of retaining and transmitting national defense information, marking the third time in recent weeks the Justice Department has secured criminal charges against one of the Republican president's critics.

Bolton's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His lawyer had previously denied that Bolton engaged in wrongdoing.

The indictment, according to court records, comes after court documents made public last month revealed that Bolton was under federal investigation for potential mishandling classified information.

Trump, who campaigned for the presidency on a vow of retribution after facing a slew of legal woes once his first term in the White House ended in 2021, has dispensed with decades-long norms designed to insulate federal law enforcement from political pressures.

In recent months, he has actively pushed Attorney General Pam Bondi's Justice Department to bring charges against his perceived adversaries, even driving out a prosecutor he deemed to be moving too slowly in doing so.

FBI agents conducted a search of Bolton's home and office in August, seeking evidence of possible violations of the Espionage Act, which makes it a crime to remove, retain or transmit national defense records, according to partially unsealed search warrants filed in federal court.

In his Maryland home, agents seized two cell phones, documents in folders labeled "Trump I-IV" and a binder labeled "statements and reflections to Allied Strikes," according to court documents.

They also found records labeled "confidential," including documents that referenced weapons of mass destruction, the U.S. mission to the United Nations, and other materials related to the U.S. government's strategic communications inside his office in Washington D.C., according to court records.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: FILE FOOTAGE AND STILL PHOTOS OF JOHN BOLTON, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR DURING THE FIRST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION / COMMENTS BY TRUMP ON FBI SEARCH OF BOLTON'S HOME

SHOWS: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (FILE - AUGUST 12, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR TO DONALD TRUMP AND FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS, JOHN BOLTON, SAYING:

“I think Putin is beginning to work his magic, and that will change Trump's view again, not because he suddenly looked at the line in Zaporizhzhia and decided it could be moved three miles one way or another. That doesn't have anything to do with it. It's, does he think his friend Vladimir is now cooperating to make a deal so that Trump can get the Nobel Peace Prize, which is what friends do for friends, right?”

HANOI, VIETNAM (FILE – FEBRUARY 27, 2019) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE)

2. STILL PHOTO OF THEN-U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR, JOHN BOLTON, AT A WORKING LUNCH WITH TRUMP

BETHESDA, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES (FILE - AUGUST 22, 2025) (REUTERS - access all)

3. FBI AGENTS CARRYING BOXES WALKING TO ENTRANCE OF BOLTON’S HOME / GIVING BOXES TO FBI AGENT INSIDE HOME

4. FBI AGENTS CARRYING BOXES WALKING TO ENTRANCE OF BOLTON’S HOME / GIVING BOXES TO FBI AGENT INSIDE HOME

5. FBI AGENT EXITING THE HOME

6. WIDE SHOT OF BOLTON’S HOME

WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (FILE - AUGUST 22, 2025) (US NETWORK POOL - No use USA)

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, RESPONDING TO REPORTER, SAYING:

REPORTER (OFF CAMERA): "Mr. President, have you been briefed on the FBI raid of John Bolton, sir.”

TRUMP: "No, I don't know about it. I saw it on television this morning. I'm not a fan of John Bolton He's a real — sort of a lowlife. When I hired him, he served a good purpose because, as you know, he was one of the people that forced Bush to do the ridiculous bombings in the Middle East. He, you know, he wants to always kill people, and he's very bad at what he does. But, he worked out great for me because every time he doesn't talk, he's like a very quiet person.”

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (FILE - APRIL 9, 2018) (US NETWORK POOL - Broadcast: No use USA Digital: No use USA)

8. (SOUNDBITE)(English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SEATED NEXT TO HIS THEN-NEW NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JOHN BOLTON, SAYING:

"He's highly respected by everybody in this room. And John, I want to thank you very much. This is going to be a lot of work. Interesting day."

9. GENERAL VIEW OF CABINET MEETING

10. TRUMP AND BOLTON AT CABINET MEETING

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (FILE - OCTOBER 13, 2018) (US NETWORK POOL - Broadcast: No use USA Digital: No use USA)

11. TRUMP AT THE WHITE HOUSE OVAL OFFICE WITH A FOREIGN DIGNITARY AND THE MEDIA, HIS THEN-SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO AND BOLTON SEATED ON COUCH TO THE RIGHT OF FRAME

12. BOLTON AND POMPEO PLUS OTHERS SEATED ON COUCH

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE - SEPTEMBER 25, 2014) (REUTERS - Access all)

13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N., JOHN BOLTON, SAYING:

"Very important all around the world to see that many Iranian-Americans, Iranians from all over the world…"

VILLEPINTE, FRANCE (FILE - JULY 1, 2017) (REUTERS - Access all)

14. VARIOUS OF BOLTON SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST

15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS JOHN BOLTON SAYING:

"I think the regime in Tehran is very fragile, I think there is enormous domestic opposition to it. The regime has the guns, we saw that in 2009 when the Basij militia put down demonstrations against the fraudulent outcome of the election."

WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (FILE - FEBRUARY 07, 2019)(REUTERS - Access all)

16. STILL PHOTO OF BOLTON SPEAKING WITH U.S PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IN THE FOREGROUND

WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (FILE - MARCH 27, 2019)(REUTERS - Access all)

17. BOLTON IN THE WHITE HOUSE OVAL OFFICE WITH TRUMP IN THE BACKGROUND MEETING FOREIGN DIGNITARY

VILLEPINTE, FRANCE (FILE - JULY 1, 2017) (REUTERS - Access all)

18. BOLTON PROJECTED ON SCREEN TO AUDIENCE AT IRAN RELATED EVENT

19. WIDE OF EVENT AS BOLTON SPEAKS

OXON, HILL, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES (FILE - FEBRUARY 24, 2017) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

20. VARIOUS STILL PHOTOS OF BOLTON SPEAKING AT THE CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL ACTION CONFERENCE