In a moment of breaking news that captivated the political world, President Donald J. Trump was confronted with a stunning development during a White House press briefing. For the first time, the President was made aware that his disgraced former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, had just been indicted by a federal grand jury.
The scene was a powerful testament to how the Biden administration’s Department of Justice operates, with the Commander-in-Chief himself learning of the legal action from a reporter rather than through official channels, a stark contrast to the coordinated media leaks that typically characterize politically motivated attacks against conservatives.
The exchange, captured on video, was both revealing and a classic example of President Trump’s unfiltered and honest reaction to the news. When a reporter abruptly broke the news, asking, “You were just indicted by a grand jury in Maryland. Do you have a reaction to that?” the President’s response was one of genuine surprise. He demonstrated that he was entirely outside the loop of an investigation that his political opponents would have certainly orchestrated for maximum media impact. His reply, “I didn’t know that. You tell me for the first time, but I think he’s a bad person,” was a refreshing display of candor, wholly absent of the rehearsed talking points that define the typical Washington politician.
President Trump continued, repeating his well-founded disdain for the man he once entrusted with a critical national security role. He stated plainly, “I think he’s a bad guy. Yeah, he’s a bad guy. Too bad, but that’s the way it goes. That’s the way it goes, right?” This sentiment resonates deeply with millions of Americans who have watched as John Bolton has consistently positioned himself as a hawkish critic, often appearing to side with the military-industrial complex and the very establishment forces that President Trump was elected to dismantle. When pressed further on whether he had reviewed the case, the President’s simple response, “No, I haven’t. But I just think he’s a bad person,” underscores his focus on the character of the individual, a quality the liberal media consistently ignores when it suits their narrative.
🚨 BREAKING: "John Bolton was just indicted by a grand jury. Do you have a reaction to that?"
PRESIDENT TRUMP: "I didn't know that. You're telling me for the first time! I think he's a bad person. Too bad."
"That's the WAY IT GOES, RIGHT?" 😂
"He's a BAD person." 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QDH4TPFttA
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 16, 2025
This indictment of Bolton follows a months-long Department of Justice investigation into serious allegations that he mishandled and transmitted classified national security materials. The investigation revealed that during his tenure as National Security Adviser from 2018 to 2019, Bolton allegedly used his private AOL email server for official government business involving sensitive information. This is precisely the kind of reckless behavior that the mainstream media would have portrayed as a monumental scandal had it been committed by a Trump loyalist, yet they largely downplay it because it targets a figure who has since become a critic of the 45th President.
The evidence gathered was substantial. As federal agents executed search warrants in August at his Maryland home and his Washington, D.C. office, they seized a trove of evidence, including computers, phones, USB drives, and numerous documents bearing clear labels such as “secret,” “confidential,” and “classified.” The subsequent indictment is severe, including eight separate counts of transmitting national defense information (NDI) and ten counts of unlawfully retaining NDI. The potential consequences for these actions are grave. If convicted, John Bolton could face up to 10 years in federal prison for each count of unlawful retention of NDI and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count of transmission of NDI.