DOJ investigation of John Bolton focuses on diary-like notes in his AOL email account

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on September 29, 2025. Brian Snyder/Reuters/File

Part of the Justice Department’s investigation of John Bolton centers around notes he was making to himself in an AOL email account — at times writing summaries of his activities like diary entries — when he was President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, and whether they contained classified information, sources familiar with the investigation tell CNN.

In recent days, Justice Department prosecutors have been working to finalize an indictment against Bolton over mishandling classified information, according to court records and prior CNN reporting. Yet, the