John Bolton Agrees to Plead Guilty in Classified Information Case

John Bolton, who served as President Trump’s national security adviser in his first term and later became one of his sharpest critics, has reportedly agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of illegally keeping classified information, PBS NewsHour reported Thursday. The Associated Press, citing a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss a deal that had not been made public, reported the same. The deal would resolve a case that began with FBI searches of Bolton’s home in Maryland and his office in Washington.

Bolton was indicted in October on 18 counts of either retaining or disseminating classified information, AP reported. Court documents allege he shared diary-like entries, with information classified as high as top secret from meetings with U.S. officials, intelligence briefings and talks with foreign leaders, with family members. PBS reported that officials say he kept sensitive notes he planned to use for a memoir; AP said the indictment focused on notes shared with relatives rather than on the substance of his book.

If a judge approves the agreement, Bolton could receive no prison time or up to five years, plus fines of more than $2 million, PBS reported. AP’s source put the fine at $2.25 million and said any prison sentence would be capped at five years, with the punishment ultimately up to a judge. A re-arraignment, which can signal a plea agreement, is scheduled for June 26 in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, AP said.

Bolton pleaded not guilty at first. In a statement after his indictment he described the charges as part of an “intensive effort” by Trump “to intimidate his opponents,” according to AP. The investigation became public last August with the FBI searches but had been well under way when Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, AP reported.

The case carries a broader political question. AP noted that it unfolded against the backdrop of concerns that the Justice Department is using its law enforcement powers to pursue perceived adversaries of the president, alongside its cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Details of the agreement beyond the terms above were not public. The plea would still have to be accepted in court, and until a judge does so the case remains open.