John Bolton plans to plead guilty in classified documents case, sources say
John Bolton \ MGN
Washington — John Bolton, former national security adviser to President Trump, is planning to plead guilty to one count of retaining classified national security information and will agree to pay a $2.25 million fine, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.
Bolton, now a staunch critic of Mr. Trump, was indicted last year on 18 counts related to his handling of sensitive government information that prosecutors said he shared with two relatives in “diary-like” entries across a seven-year span for possible use in a book he was writing. He had pleaded not guilty in October.
Bolton is expected to submit the plea agreement at a hearing at the U.S. district court in Maryland on June 26, one source said. The docket in his case describes the proceeding as a “re-arraignment.” The plea deal will require approval from the judge.
The sentencing range for the single count is from zero to 60 months of incarceration, the person added.
The sources said the plea deal does not allege any wrongdoing by Bolton in connection with the publication of his book, nor is he accused of taking home any classified records or sharing them with the media or foreign adversaries. They noted he intends to accept responsibility for what he did.
A federal grand jury indicted Bolton in mid-October on eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of retaining national defense information. His case had moved slowly because of procedures related to how classified information would be handled in proceedings.
Bolton, a Republican, has held a variety of senior positions within the U.S. government across four decades and served as national security adviser to Mr. Trump during his first term. But he has since become a vocal critic of the president.
He said after he was indicted that Mr. Trump has been working to punish him since he left his post in the White House in 2019, and claimed he was a victim of the president’s attempts to “intimidate his opponents.”
Prosecutors claimed that from April 2018 to August 2025, Bolton shared with two unidentified relatives more than 1,000 pages of information about his daily activities while working in the White House for Mr. Trump, some of which contained classified information. The indictment also alleged that Bolton kept documents, writings and notes related to the national defense, including information that was classified, in his home in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The Justice Department alleged in court papers that Bolton’s “diary-like” notes were typed transcriptions of handwritten notes that were then sent to his two relatives through a commercial, non-governmental messaging app. Prosecutors said Bolton also used personal email accounts, like those from AOL and Google, to email classified information to the family members.
The indictment claims that the entries included sensitive information up to the top secret and sensitive compartmented information level, a designation that means it was derived from sensitive intelligence sources. Prosecutors said Bolton’s notes contained “detailed information” that he learned from meetings with high-ranking government officials, intelligence briefings and discussions with foreign leaders and foreign intelligence and military organizations.
Bolton was also accused of printing out and storing the notes at his house, and keeping digital copies on personal devices. The FBI searched Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office last August, and seized electronic files, according to court documents.
Prosecutors said that at some point between 2019 and 2021, after Bolton left the White House, his email account was hacked by a “cyber actor,” believed to be tied to Iran, who gained access to the sensitive information housed in his account. A representative for Bolton notified the government about the hack in 2021.
Bolton’s book, “The Room Where It Happened,” was published in 2020 and includes details from his time working with Mr. Trump in the White House, including about the president’s views on certain foreign-policy issues and his conduct.
Other former high-ranking government officials charged in cases involving classified information have avoided prison time after reaching plea deals.
Former CIA Director David Petraeus, pleaded guilty in 2015 to a sole count of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material after he was accused of giving sensitive government information to his mistress and biographer. He was sentenced to two years’ probation and fined $100,000.
Sandy Berger, who was national security adviser to former President Bill Clinton and accused of taking documents from the National Archives, agreed to plead guilty in 2005 to unlawfully removing and retaining classified material. He was sentenced to probation, ordered to perform 100 hours of community service and fined $50,000.
