John Bolton to Plead Guilty to Retaining Classified Information

<p>Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of illegally retaining sensitive national security information, reducing the original case that included 18 criminal charges.</p><p>Bolton is expected to formally enter the guilty plea during a hearing on June 26 in federal court in Maryland. As part of the plea agreement, he will pay a fine of approximately $2.25 million.</p><p>The Justice Department did not comment on the agreement when contacted, directing inquiries to the court docket.</p><p>The plea deal significantly reduces Bolton's legal exposure. Federal prosecutors initially charged him in October 2025 with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and ten counts of unlawfully retaining that information.</p><p>Under the agreement, Bolton will plead guilty to one count of illegal retention of national security information, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Reports suggest he could receive anything from probation to a prison sentence.</p><p>Sources familiar with the matter indicate that the plea relates to diary-style entries maintained by Bolton during his tenure as national security adviser, which were allegedly shared with family members.</p><p>The plea does not involve allegations of Bolton providing classified documents to foreign governments or publicly releasing classified materials. A source stated, "There’s no allegation that he took home any classified documents, or that he leaked any documents or that he shared any documents with foreign adversaries."</p><p>Bolton is not pleading guilty to the transmission-related charges included in the original indictment. The agreement follows allegations that he improperly retained sensitive information from his time in the Trump administration and shared over 1,000 pages of information through a personal email account with unauthorized recipients, reportedly family members.</p><p>Federal investigators examined Bolton's handling of the information after his personal email account was reportedly compromised by Iranian-linked hackers.</p><p>Bolton, who served as national security adviser from April 2018 until September 2019, had previously pleaded not guilty and defended his conduct. A source close to Bolton mentioned that he agreed to the plea to avoid a trial that could disclose additional classified information. "This was a very difficult decision for him," the source said. "Most importantly, he is doing what leaders do and taking responsibility."</p><p>Following the June 26 hearing, a federal judge will have up to 90 days to determine Bolton's sentence.</p>