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John Bolton, who served as national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first administration before becoming one of the president’s most outspoken critics, pleaded guilty Friday to a federal charge of mishandling classified information related to his White House service.
Appearing before U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang in Greenbelt, Maryland, Bolton entered a guilty plea to one count of unauthorized retention of national defense information as part of a plea agreement with the Justice Department.
The plea resolves one count of an 18-count indictment filed against Bolton in October 2025. Prosecutors dismissed the remaining charges as part of the agreement.
Bolton faces a maximum prison sentence of five years on the single count and has agreed to pay $2.25 million under the terms of the plea deal. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 28.
Plea Agreement Resolves Classified Documents Case
During Friday’s hearing, Judge Chuang reviewed the original indictment before confirming that Bolton was pleading guilty only to Count 12.
“Yes, your honor,” Bolton responded.
The Justice Department originally charged Bolton with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of unauthorized retention of national defense information. Had he been convicted on all counts, he faced decades in prison along with substantial financial penalties.
Prosecutors Detail Allegations
Federal prosecutors alleged that while serving as Trump’s national security adviser from April 2018 through September 2019, Bolton created documents resembling diary entries that contained highly sensitive classified information, including material classified at the Top Secret level.
According to the Justice Department, Bolton later transmitted those documents to two family members using private email accounts and a messaging platform.
Prosecutors also alleged that after leaving the White House, a cyber actor associated with Iran compromised Bolton’s personal email account. When Bolton reported the breach, prosecutors said he failed to disclose that the compromised account contained national defense information.
Defense Says Bolton Accepted Responsibility
Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said the plea agreement allows the case to conclude without further exposing sensitive national security information.
“John Bolton did what real leaders do,” Lowell said in a statement. “He took responsibility for a mistake he made, thereby saving the government resources to pursue a case that could expose additional sensitive information.”
Justice Department Signals Tough Enforcement
Hayden O’Byrne, acting deputy assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s National Security Division, said the case demonstrates the government’s commitment to prosecuting the mishandling of classified information.
“This plea agreement ought to send a message to other public officials whom the public has entrusted with classified, national defense information,” O’Byrne said in a statement. “If you willfully mishandle these state secrets, the Department of Justice, led by the National Security Division, will investigate and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
Trump Responds
President Donald Trump criticized his former adviser in a post Friday on Truth Social following the guilty plea.
Trump described Bolton as “a terrible person” and “a lunatic who only wanted to start trouble and wars,” adding that he hoped Bolton “will be dealt with harshly.”
Bolton served as Trump’s national security adviser for roughly 17 months before leaving the administration in 2019. Since then, he has become one of Trump’s most prominent Republican critics, frequently condemning the president’s foreign policy and conduct in office.
Bolton’s indictment was among several high-profile criminal cases brought by the Justice Department against prominent critics of the Trump administration over the past year.
Last fall, prosecutors also charged Letitia James with mortgage fraud and James Comey in a separate case alleging he lied to Congress.
A federal judge dismissed the charges against James, and prosecutors have twice failed to secure a new indictment. Comey’s original case was also dismissed before prosecutors filed new charges in April related to an Instagram post they alleged threatened the president. Both James and Comey have denied wrongdoing and are scheduled to stand trial in October.
Bolton remains free pending sentencing. Judge Chuang is expected to determine on Oct. 28 whether the former national security adviser will receive prison time, probation, or another sentence consistent with federal sentencing guidelines.
