Former White House national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to unlawfully retaining classified national security information, resolving a high-profile case against one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent Republican critics.
Appearing before U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland, Bolton admitted to a single felony count. Asked whether he was guilty, Bolton replied: “I am your honor and I’m sorry for it.”
Under the plea agreement, Bolton faces up to 60 months in prison and a $2.25 million fine. He will also forfeit his federal pension. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 28.
Maryland U.S. Attorney Kelly Hayes said Bolton knew the rules for handling classified material but violated them anyway, writes CNN.
“As national security adviser to the president of the United States, Mr. Bolton had access to and was responsible for safeguarding the most sensitive national defense information including classified material. He knew where it should be stored, how it should be stored and with whom he could share that information,” Hayes said.
“He also knew the damage to national security that could be caused by mishandling that sensitive information. Nevertheless, as Mr. Bolton just admitted, he put our nation security at grave risk in violation of the law.”
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes: John Bolton "plead guilty in federal court… Mr. Bolton faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison…He will also pay a fine of $2.25 million and will forfeit his pension."
pic.twitter.com/waTwpjAM5V— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) June 26, 2026
Bolton did not comment outside the courthouse. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, framed the plea as an act of accountability while accusing Trump of hypocrisy.
“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,” Lowell said. “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 plea ends a case that initially charged Bolton with 18 counts, including transmitting and retaining national defense information. Prosecutors narrowed the case to one count focused on classified information Bolton kept in personal diary-style records from his time in the Trump administration.
Investigators said Bolton sent himself notes containing classified details and discussed portions with his wife and daughter while maintaining a private record of his government service. The investigation began after Bolton’s email account was hacked by Iranian actors in 2021 and his assistant alerted the FBI to threats that sensitive material could be released.
Bolton, who was fired by Trump in September 2019, later became a fierce critic of the president. He had denounced the prosecution as political retaliation and called himself “the latest target in weaponizing the Justice Department.”
Prosecutors may still seek prison time. Bolton is expected to argue for no incarceration, setting up a potential fight at sentencing.
