Former Trump adviser John Bolton has pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information, sealing a deal with federal prosecutors that could allow him to avoid prison time.
Bolton, 77, admitted to a single count of illegally retaining classified information during a federal court hearing in Maryland on Friday. He told the judge, “I’m sorry for it.”
His plea agreement, which includes a hefty fine of over $2 million, may enable him to avoid time behind bars but the judge ultimately will decide his punishment. Prosecutors have recommended a sentence of zero to five years in prison but the judge isn’t bound by that part of the deal.
Bolton can withdraw his guilty plea if the judge issues a longer prison sentence or a fine greater than $2.25 million. He must make half that payment within five days of sentencing and the full payment within 90 days of sentencing.
He also will forfeit his government pension and committed to up to 100 hours of community service and to meet with intelligence and Justice Department officials for a debriefing.
The judge set his sentencing for Oct. 28.
Bolton blasts Trump over his own classified documents case
“Today, Ambassador Bolton did what real leaders do. He took responsibility for a mistake he made, thereby saving the government resources to pursue a case that could expose additional sensitive information,” Bolton’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement after the court hearing.
“By contrast, President Trump thumbed his nose at the classified information laws, took actual classified documents to his Florida mansion, interfered with the investigation of that conduct, and has never accepted any accountability for his conduct,” the statement continued.
“Ambassador Bolton, whose offense was only keeping a diary which contained classified information, kept a record to preserve history, but Donald Trump kept secrets to serve himself.”
Trump adviser turned foe
Bolton served for more than a year in Trump’s first administration before getting pushed out in 2019.
He became an outspoken critic of Trump and was charged last October with 18 counts of either retaining or disseminating classified information, including diary-like notes that he shared with relatives as he wrote a memoir about his career in government.
FBI agents searched Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office last August, but the investigation began before Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
Bolton’s controversial book about Trump
Bolton was accused of sharing sensitive information with two relatives for possible use in a memoir he was writing, including notes on intelligence briefings and meetings with senior government officials and foreign leaders.
The book, The Room Where It Happened, detailed Bolton's tenure as Trump's national security adviser during his first term. He described the president as unfit for office, sparking a public feud.
The Trump administration fought unsuccessfully to block the book’s release, claiming it contained classified information that could jeopardize national security, and Trump derided Bolton as a “crazy” warmonger who would have led the country into “World War Six.”
Prosecutors said Friday that no classified information was published in Bolton's book but reiterated that Bolton's personal email was hacked by someone believed to be linked to Iran.
Bolton’s indictment focused on the notes that he shared with his wife and daughter rather than the contents of his book.
After sending one document, Bolton wrote in a message to his relatives, “None of which we talk about!!!” In response, one of his relatives wrote, “Shhhhh,” prosecutors said.
Other Trump adversaries have been charged with federal crimes during his second term in the White House.
While some of those cases have collapsed under judicial scrutiny and amid claims of political retribution, Bolton didn’t mount a vigorous defense against his charges before cutting a deal.
Read MoreTrump bashes ‘Milk Toast’ Fox News host as he admits ICE is not ‘NICE’
Disagreements between Supreme Court justices bubble into public view as major rulings loom
Running buses in Manchester is no preparation for international stage, Burnham warned
New York Knicks star pours cold water on idea team will visit Trump’s White House
Billionaire defends $158 million paid to Epstein: ‘I knew Jekyll. I didn’t know Hyde’
Trump shows Congress who’s the boss as he beats back rebellion and takes Hill hostage
