John Bolton Faces Up To 180 Years In Prison
The man who built his career enforcing secrecy now stands accused of betraying it — 18 counts under the Espionage Act that could redefine justice in Washington.
By Nick Holt — The Modern Enquirer
John Bolton has made a career out of advocating for war, secrecy, and punishment. Now, the punishment may be his own.
The former National Security Adviser has been indicted under the Espionage Act — the same century-old law once used to prosecute spies, leakers, and, more recently, a former president’s enemies.
The Department of Justice, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleges that Bolton unlawfully transmitted and retained national defense informationwhile serving in the Trump administration.
If proven, those charges carry some of the harshest penalties in the federal code — and they strike at the heart of a Washington establishment that has long treated its own as untouchable.
The Espionage Act of 1917 was written in wartime haste to stop leaks that could endanger U.S. troops. Over the past century, it has become a blunt instrument — wielded as easily against insiders as against whistleblowers.
Under 18 U.S.C. § 793, anyone who “willfully retains or transmits” information relating to national defense without authorization faces up to ten years in prison per count. Bolton faces eighteen counts in total — eight for transmission and ten for unlawful retention.
The law does not require intent to aid a foreign power. Simply keeping or sharing national-defense information outside secure channels is enough to trigger prosecution.
Bolton’s case, like others before it, will hinge less on motive than on custody — what he had, what he shared, and with whom.
Prosecutors allege that Bolton abused his position by sending “diary-like” notes and documents about his daily activities as National Security Adviser to two unauthorized individuals. These notes allegedly included Top Secret/SCI-level information about foreign leaders and ongoing national-defense operations.
According to the indictment, Bolton used personal email accounts to transmit the material — an act that FBI Director Kash Patel called “a direct violation of federal law.” Documents marked Confidential and Secret, including references to weapons-of-mass-destruction programs, were reportedly found in Bolton’s Washington, D.C. office during an FBI raidlast year.
Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, argues that the materials had already been cleared through pre-publication review for his 2020 memoir The Room Where It Happened, and that “the matter was closed years ago.”
It’s a familiar defense: the documents were cleared, the information outdated, the prosecution political.
It’s also an argument Bolton himself once dismissed when others — often whistleblowers — tried to use it.
Each count under § 793 carries up to ten years. On paper, Bolton faces 180 years in prison. In practice, judges rarely impose the maximum. They weigh cooperation, intent, and national-security harm.
When Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira leaked classified files online earlier this year, he received fifteen yearsafter pleading guilty. Bolton’s stature could earn him leniency for public service — or harsher judgment for hypocrisy.
Either way, the symbolism is striking: the architect of secrecy now stands accused of violating it.
Bolton’s indictment lands amid a cascade of prosecutions shaking Washington’s most protected circles.
Former FBI Director James Comey faces two counts for lying to Congress and obstructing a congressional inquiry.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has been charged with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
Attorney General Bondi insists there is “one tier of justice for all Americans.”
Critics call it political vengeance; supporters call it long-delayed accountability.
Either way, the spectacle is extraordinary: figures who once stood at the pinnacle of institutional power — Comey, James, and now Bolton — answering to the same justice system they once commanded.
The Espionage Act, long seen as a weapon of the state, has become its mirror — reflecting the contradictions of a government that once treated secrecy as virtue and now prosecutes its own for abusing it.
If convicted, Bolton could spend the rest of his life in federal prison and face substantial fines.
His case could also prompt congressional review of how pre-publication clearances handle classified material — and whether former officials have grown too casual with state secrets.
If acquitted, the verdict could narrow the Espionage Act’s reach, redefining how it applies to senior officials — a precedent future defendants will invoke.
Either way, the message is unmistakable: in Washington, the laws of power still apply — even to those who once wrote the rules.