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Former National Security Adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to one felony count of illegally retaining classified information as part of a plea agreement that would resolve most of the criminal case stemming from his handling of sensitive national security records while writing his 2020 memoir, The Room Where It Happened.
Bolton entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, admitting guilt to one count of unlawful retention of classified information. During the hearing, Bolton said he was “sorry” for his actions.
President Trump responded to the announcement in a post to Truth Social.
“John Bolton, a very dumb, unbalanced, and unskilled former representative of the United States of America, just pleads guilty! He is a terrible person, a lunatic who only wanted to start trouble and wars, and who was a needless pusher of death and destruction wherever he went. Hopefully, he will be dealt with harshly!” he wrote.
According to The New York Times, the agreement, which still requires approval from U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, would reduce the 18-count indictment returned against Bolton in October 2025.
Bolton is expected to pay approximately $2.25 million in fines. He also faces a maximum prison sentence of five years, although the judge will determine the final sentence, and the agreement could allow him to avoid prison.
Federal prosecutors alleged Bolton unlawfully retained and transmitted classified national defense information contained in handwritten diary-style notes he compiled while serving as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser.
Investigators said the notes later served as source material for Bolton’s bestselling memoir, which detailed internal White House deliberations and sharply criticized Trump after the two had a public falling out.
The indictment alleged Bolton improperly shared more than 1,000 pages of notes containing national defense information with family members through his personal email account and a messaging application.
According to prosecutors, several entries showed Bolton understood he was recording classified information. Prosecutors also alleged Bolton’s personal email account was later compromised by an individual linked to the Iranian government, raising additional national security concerns.
Court filings state that Bolton notified the U.S. government of the hack in or about July 2021, but “did not tell the U.S. government that the account contained national defense information, including classified information, that Bolton had placed in the account from his time as national security adviser.”
According to prosecutors, the suspected hacker later attempted to extort Bolton after gaining access to the account.
