The President's Daily Brief PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 17th, 2025: Bolton Indicted & Discord At The Pentagon
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Oct 17, 2025 A major development unfolds as former National Security Adviser John Bolton faces 18 counts for mishandling classified materials. Tensions rise within the Pentagon, leading to the early retirement of Admiral Alvin Holsey over disputes with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth about cartel strategies. Lawmakers express concerns regarding the administration's use of military power in Latin America, compounded by a controversial memo classifying cartels as unlawful combatants. The episode packs insights into political drama and military maneuvers.
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Bolton Faces Sweeping Espionage Charges
- John Bolton was indicted on 18 counts under the Espionage Act for allegedly mishandling top-secret materials.
- Prosecutors say he shared over 1,000 pages, including SCI-level intelligence, with relatives and via unsecured accounts.
FBI Raid And Memoir Allegations
- The FBI raided Bolton's Maryland home and Washington, D.C. office after long-running investigations into his use of a private email server.
- Prosecutors allege Bolton emailed classified material to family and used it to write his 2020 memoir.
Unsecured Accounts Allegedly Led To Foreign Interception
- Some classified files Bolton used were intercepted by a cyber actor tied to Iran after being stored in an unsecured AOL account.
- The indictment claims the leaked materials included intelligence about planned foreign attacks and covert U.S. operations.
