(NewsNation) — John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges accusing him of mishandling classified information.
A NewsNation camera crew spotted him leaving his Maryland home around 8 a.m. local time, before turning himself in at a nearby courthouse. Bolton is charged with eight counts of transmission of national defense information and 10 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information. They are all under the Espionage Act. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison for each count.
The charges followed an FBI search of Bolton’s home and office in August.
Prosecutors alleged Bolton illegally transmitted classified information — including documents that revealed intelligence about future attacks and foreign adversaries — using personal email and messaging accounts.
FBI Director Kash Patel said these indictments were “just the beginning.”
“We are looking at so many different leads on criminal activity by those who are in positions of power,” he said in a statement to NewsNation.
In a defiant statement released late Thursday, Bolton denied wrongdoing and said he was being targeted by the White House.
Bolton was fired in 2019 during Trump’s first term and has since become a vocal critic of the president.
NewsNation’s Meg Hilling contributed.