John Bolton, who served as President Trump’s national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, has long been a polarizing figure in U.S. foreign policy circles due to his hawkish views.
The acrimonious fallout between Bolton and Trump erupted publicly in 2020 with the release of Bolton’s memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” which painted a damning portrait of the former president’s decision-making. In the book, Bolton revealed that Trump expressed indifference toward a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, reportedly stating he wouldn’t do “a fucking thing” in response, highlighting Trump’s reluctance to confront Beijing militarily. This disclosure, among others, infuriated Trump, who accused Bolton of lying and leaking classified information to damage his reputation. Trump vowed to prosecute Bolton for violating nondisclosure agreements by including sensitive details in the memoir, setting the stage for ongoing legal tensions over classified materials.
Fast-forward to September 2025, when the FBI raided Bolton’s Washington, D.C., office and seized documents marked “secret,” reigniting scrutiny over his handling of classified information. Prosecutors allege that during his tenure at the White House, Bolton improperly sent classified national security documents to his family via a private email server, raising concerns about unauthorized dissemination. A grand jury in Maryland has been reviewing evidence for weeks, focusing on whether Bolton retained and mishandled these materials post-administration. Federal prosecutors are set to meet this weekend to finalize details of a potential indictment, which could be filed as early as next week on charges related to the Espionage Act for willful mishandling of classified documents. If indicted, Bolton faces severe penalties, including up to 10 years in prison per count, marking a dramatic escalation in the Trump-era grudge match turned legal battle.
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