Former Trump NSA John Bolton pleads guilty to mishandling classified documents

Unlike other cases brought against Trump critics, the Bolton investigation began before Trump returned to office in 2025

John Bolton, a former national security adviser for U.S. President Donald Trump who has since become one of his fiercest critics, pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to mishandling classified information.

John Bolton, former US national security adviser, arrives at the US district courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland, US, on Friday, June 26, 2026. (Bloomberg)

Sources previously told Reuters that Bolton would plead guilty under a deal with prosecutors that included a sentencing range from no prison time to as many as five years behind bars, with the final sentence to be determined by a judge. As part of the agreement, Bolton agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine. Bolton must make half that payment within five days of sentencing and the full payment within 90 days of sentencing. Bolton is 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. He pleaded not guilty to 18 criminal charges last year.

Bolton, who served as national security adviser during Trump's first term in office, is one of several notable political opponents who have faced prosecution from Trump's Justice Department, erasing longstanding norms that had separated law enforcement efforts from partisan considerations.

But unlike other cases brought against Trump critics, the Bolton investigation began before Trump returned to office in 2025 and had the backing of career federal prosecutors.