Lawyers for former national security adviser John Bolton and the Trump administration appeared in federal court Friday for a procedural hearing that underscored how long the criminal case against Bolton may take to reach trial.
According to Fox News, Bolton was indicted last month on 18 criminal charges related to his alleged retention and transmission of classified and sensitive national security information during President Donald Trump’s first term.
Prosecutors say he sent more than 1,000 “diary-like” updates to his wife and daughter between 2018 and 2019, including material from intelligence briefings and meetings with foreign officials.
Friday’s hearing in U.S. District Court in Maryland focused on next steps for reviewing the large volume of documents Bolton is accused of mishandling.
Both sides acknowledged that the discovery process will stretch well into 2026. A status conference is set for October of next year, but no trial date has been scheduled.
Judge Theodore D. Chuang questioned the government’s proposed timeline, which sought until May 22, 2026, to produce discovery. He pressed prosecutors on why the process would take so long and raised concerns about compliance with the Speedy Trial Act.
“Seven months is a very long time,” Chuang told lead prosecutor Thomas Sullivan. “How many documents are in play here? Frankly, most of this should have been done before the indictment… I still can’t understand why it would take seven months.”
Prosecutors responded that they are still sorting through about 1,000 pages of single-spaced documents seized from Bolton’s home. They also said they have set “aggressive deadlines” for intelligence agencies to review the material.
Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said several electronic devices still need to be examined and that the government’s filter team has not yet begun reviewing them.
Chuang ultimately approved a modified schedule. By Jan. 12, both sides must submit the first tranche of 10 documents that prosecutors say are central to the case, along with a joint status report outlining their progress and proposing the next review deadline.
The hearing comes as Bolton has publicly argued that the charges are part of what he calls a broader effort by Trump to target political enemies, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
But Bolton’s case differs in key ways. Parts of the investigation continued under the Biden administration, and career prosecutors — not Trump-appointed attorneys — approved the indictment.
That distinguishes it from the cases involving Comey and James, which were brought by Trump’s former attorney, Lindsey Halligan.
Bolton pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released under conditions requiring him to remain in the continental United States and surrender his passport.
After the indictment was announced, Bolton said in a statement, “I have become the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department to charge those he deems to be his enemies with charges that were declined before or distort the facts.”
