John Bolton, the sharp-tongued former National Security Adviser to President Donald Trump, has been indicted by a federal grand jury. CNN’s Katelyn Polantz broke the news live on air Thursday afternoon, capping off months of speculation and a years-long investigation.
At the center of the indictment is Bolton’s handling of classified information—specifically his use of a personal AOL email account to log sensitive material tied to his time in the White House. The investigation spanned both the Trump and Biden administrations and had long been whispered about in D.C. circles, but few expected it to lead to an indictment this late in the game.
The seriousness of the probe became clear earlier this year when FBI agents executed a search warrant at Bolton’s residence, a move that raised eyebrows but was quickly buried by other political headlines. Now it’s front and center.
Bolton, known for his hawkish foreign policy and blunt commentary, has been a high-profile critic of Trump since his departure from the administration. His book, The Room Where It Happened, pulled no punches, portraying Trump as dangerously unfit for office. That has fueled speculation about the political undertones of the charges, especially as Bolton joins a growing list of Trump critics who’ve found themselves facing federal scrutiny.
That list now includes former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom have tangled publicly with Trump and are now also facing legal trouble of their own.
For now, Bolton hasn’t released a statement, and his legal team hasn’t commented.
