John Bolton is headed to federal court to plead guilty to one count of retaining classified information under a deal with the Justice Department. Under the deal, he could avoid prison time, according to the Associated Press.
The deal would resolve a criminal case filed in October that charged Bolton with 18 counts of either retaining or disseminating classified information, including diary-like notes from his time in government that officials say he shared with his family members as he was preparing a memoir about his time in office.
Under the agreement, Bolton would also face a $2.25 million fine, said the person, who insisted on anonymity to discuss a deal that had not been made public. Any prison sentence would be capped at five years, but the agreement allows for him to avoid time behind bars, though the punishment will ultimately be up to a judge.
The case has been building since August of last year, when FBI agents executed search warrants at Bolton's home and office in Maryland. Federal prosecutors originally hit Bolton with 18 counts of either retaining or disseminating classified information.
BREAKING: John Bolton is set to plead guilty over his mishandling of classified documents.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 4, 2026
The former Trump national security adviser will plead guilty to retaining classified information after his home and office were raided last year on August 22. pic.twitter.com/RPmUBgJ9PM
Under the agreement, Bolton faces a sentence capped at five years in prison, though the deal leaves open the possibility of no prison time at all. A judge will make the final call.
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At the center of the case are diary-style notes Bolton kept during his government service. Prosecutors say he shared those notes with family members while he was preparing his memoir about his time in the Trump administration. The Trump administration attempted to block the book The Room Where It Happened prior to its publication, arguing that it contained classified material. The administration lost that fight, but the current plea agreement focuses on the classified notes Bolton shared with relatives, not on material that appeared in the published book.
Many on the left have tried to frame the case against Bolton as part of a pattern of “retribution” from Trump against his enemies. But even CNN had to admit the case had merit.
Bolton, who served for one year in the first Trump administration, was originally charged with eight counts of transmission of national defense information and 10 counts of retention of national defense information.
Trump had long been long been calling for Bolton to be arrested over his 2020 memoir that was highly critical of the president, claiming Bolton should have gone to jail because classified information was contained in the book.
But unlike cases against Trump’s other perceived enemies, like FBI Director James Comey and the now-dismissed case against New York Attorney General Letitia James, Bolton’s case has maintained the support of career prosecutors and investigators, people briefed on the matter previously told CNN.
Trump’s first Justice Department opened criminal and civil investigations into the book in 2020, but it was closed within a year.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the plea agreement.
This story is developing. Stay tuned for more details.
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