It now appears that former national security adviser John Bolton could be facing additional charges. 

The Washington Examiner reports that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) hinted as this possibility at a court hearing that took place on Friday.

What those additional charges might be for, though, is unclear.

JUST IN: According to the DOJ, more charges are coming for John Bolton.

They must’ve found more thumb drives under his mustache. pic.twitter.com/vL2G0ZjyPq

— Santron (@jacktronprime) November 21, 2025

The latest

It was Thomas Sullivan, the lead prosecutor on the Bolton case, who suggested that the DOJ could soon bring more charges against Bolton.

The Hill reports:

The Department of Justice (DOJ) signaled Friday that former national security adviser John Bolton could face additional charges in his criminal case over allegedly mishandled classified documents. Thomas Sullivan, the lead prosecutor on Bolton’s case, indicated at a hearing that “potential other charges” are a possibility as the government wades through the case material.

It appears that Bolton's defense team is also gearing up for the possibility of additional charges.

The Hill writes:

Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Bolton, offhandedly referenced the possibility of new charges at the hearing, saying “maybe they’ll try to bring others — I hope not.” The Hill has reached out for comment from Lowell.

Time will tell.

Background

Bolton is faces criminal charges for allegedly mishandling classified information.

More details about the evidence that the government has against Bolton were revealed on Friday.

The Examiner reports:

The hearing revealed new details about the scope and sensitivity of the documents at issue. Prosecutors said 10 diary-style entries that Bolton allegedly sent to his wife and daughter, through unsecured emails and texts, are at the “heart” of the indictment and contain information classified up to the Top Secret level, according to All Rise News. Bolton’s email account was separately compromised by Iranian government hackers, according to prosecutors. Those entries are part of a broader collection of 65 documents still undergoing intelligence-community reviews, and Lowell told the court that the filter team must comb through “a few thousand pages” to determine “what line in a private diary is classified.”

Bolton and his defense team are trying to claim that this is a politically motivated prosecution led by the Trump administration, following Trump's falling-out with Bolton.

Bolton, who has pled "not guilty," has said:

These charges are not just about his focus on me or my diaries, but [Trump's] intensive effort to intimidate his opponents, to ensure that he alone determines what is said about his conduct.