Washington DC: Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton pleaded not guilty on Friday (local time) to federal charges of improperly handling classified information, Al Jazeera reported.

Bolton appeared at the federal courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he turned himself in and entered his plea.

He faces 18 charges in total — eight counts of transmitting national defence information and ten counts of unlawfully retaining such materials. Each count carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison, meaning Bolton could face life imprisonment if convicted on all charges.

A veteran of four Republican administrations, Bolton previously served as Assistant Attorney General under Ronald Reagan, held diplomatic roles under George H.W. Bush, was appointed UN Ambassador by George W. Bush, and later served as National Security Adviser to Donald Trump.

However, his tenure under Trump has come under scrutiny, with some observers suggesting the charges may be politically motivated, Al Jazeera reported.

Bolton’s indictment follows a wave of recent legal actions targeting prominent critics of Trump, after the US President appointed Lindsey Halligan, his personal lawyer, as US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Since taking office on September 22, Halligan has filed criminal indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both of whom have had high-profile disputes with Trump.

Comey had led the FBI’s probe into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, which Trump opposed and later shut down by firing Comey in 2017. James spearheaded a civil fraud case against Trump and his company that resulted in a USD 364 million penalty, later dismissed as excessive, Al Jazeera reported.

Bolton thus becomes one of the first high-ranking former officials to face repercussions after Trump’s return to the presidency in January.

A day after Trump’s inauguration, the President revoked Bolton’s security detail, a move Bolton criticised, referencing a 2022 Justice Department case in which an Iranian Revolutionary Guard member was charged with plotting to assassinate him.

In August, FBI agents raided Bolton’s home in Bethesda, Maryland, seizing hard drives and boxes of documents. The 26-page indictment unsealed Thursday stems from that investigation.

Prosecutors allege Bolton “abused his position” by sharing more than 1,000 pages of classified material, including documents rated “Top Secret/SCI,” with two unauthorised individuals believed to be close family members.

He is also accused of unlawfully retaining notes and records related to national defence, including handwritten diary-style entries that were later typed and shared electronically.

The indictment further claims that Bolton was targeted by a hacker linked to the Iranian government, who may have accessed some of the sensitive material in his possession.

Observers have drawn parallels with Trump’s own classified documents case involving his Mar-a-Lago residence. Federal prosecutors had accused Trump of attempting to conceal records, but the case was dropped before his second term began, as Justice Department policy generally bars the prosecution of a sitting president, Al Jazeera noted.

Other Trump officials, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, have also faced criticism for leaking sensitive information via the Signal messaging app — an issue Bolton himself had condemned at the time. That earlier criticism is now cited in the indictment to demonstrate his awareness of the security risks.

Following his arraignment, Bolton was released and is scheduled to reappear in court on November 21. (ANI)