John Bolton, the combative national security adviser who turned into one of Donald Trump's most vocal opponents, will enter a guilty plea to retaining national security information, according to two sources familiar with the agreement.
Bolton will be arraigned on June 26 under the deal struck with federal prosecutors. A judge will then have up to 90 days to hand down a sentence, which could range from probation to five years in prison. He has also agreed to pay $2.25 million in restitution.
The charge stems from national security information Bolton described in an electronic diary entry that he shared with two family members. According to one source, "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."
Bolton was arrested in October and initially pleaded not guilty to charges of mishandling classified information. A federal grand jury in Maryland indicted him on eight counts of transmitting national defense information and ten counts of unlawful retention.
A source close to Bolton told NBC News that the decision to change his plea came from a sense of duty. "This was a very difficult decision for him," the source said. "Most importantly, he is doing what leaders do and taking responsibility. He understands that if he went to trial what that would mean, which essentially would be the disclosure of many, many more classified documents that he would need to reveal to defend himself. And given the Ukraine and the Middle East, he didn't want to do that."
Bolton served as Trump's national security adviser during the first administration before the relationship soured. He later published a book critical of Trump and became a persistent voice attacking the president's foreign policy, particularly his approach to Russia. Days after Trump returned to the White House, the president canceled Bolton's Secret Service protection despite an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate him.
In June 2020, Trump called for Bolton's prosecution on Fox News, claiming he had released massive amounts of classified information. Bolton countered that he had met all legal obligations and obtained a letter from a National Security Council official affirming his book contained no classified material.
The Bolton case arrives amid Trump's own classified documents saga. Trump faced indictment in 2023 on charges of mishandling classified materials and obstructing recovery efforts, but U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed the charges in 2024.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Bolton's guilty plea undercuts his defense that he followed proper channels, and it's a reminder that even Trump critics don't get a pass on handling classified information."
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