Former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to one count of retention of classified documents.
The guilty plea is part of a deal struck by Bolton, who served a stint as National Security Advisor during President Donald Trump’s first term, with the Department of Justice (DOJ), according to The Washington Post. As part of the deal, Bolton will pay a $2.25 million fine and could face up to 5 years in prison.
In October 2025, Bolton was indicted by a federal grand jury on 18 counts of transmitting national defense information and unlawfully retaining classified documents. (RELATED: Everything You Need To Know About The Trump-Bolton Feud)
The plea deal, whose draft came to light in early June, was approved by U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang at a change-of-plea hearing in a Maryland federal court, according to The Washington Post.
When asked if he was indeed guilty of the charge, Bolton replied: “I am your honor, and I’m sorry for it,” The Post reported.
When asked if he was guilty of the offense, Bolton said: “I am your honor, and I’m sorry for it.” From @kemettler https://t.co/FGpKVcoZpe
— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) June 26, 2026
A federal indictment had accused Bolton of using his personal email to share “more than a thousand pages of information about his day-to-day activities.” However, the former national security advisor pleaded guilty to a different charge.
Bolton is set to be sentenced on Oct. 28.
Bolton, who served under Trump during his first administration, had been a vocal supporter of the president in the beginning and was reportedly considered for secretary of state. However, Bolton was instead chosen to be Trump’s third national security adviser in 2018.
He would end up leaving the position a little under a year and a half later after clashes with Trump during his service led to a falling out. The foreign policy hawk often found himself in conflict with the Trump’s goals, leading to severe disagreements, including Bolton reportedly attempting to derail a Camp David meeting and potential agreement with the Taliban, The New York Times reported.
During his announcement of Bolton’s exit from the position in September 2019, Trump said, “I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House.”
I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2019
“I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning,” Trump added. “I thank John very much for his service.”
Prosecutors claimed he had “diary-like” handwritten notes, according to the Post. The indictment accused him of sharing Top Secret material with two unauthorized individuals. A cyber actor was also to have connections with the Islamic Republic of Iran was able to hack Bolton’s email, securing access to sensitive information, according to the court documents.
Editor’s note: Article updated with additional information.