John Bolton, a prominent critic of President Trump who once served as his national security adviser, pleaded guilty on Friday, June 26, to improperly retaining sensitive materials in “diary-like” entries after leaving the White House.
Bolton, 77, admitted to one count of retaining national defense information during a federal court hearing in Greenbelt, Md. The plea concludes a case that began with an 18-count indictment last October.
Prosecutors had accused him of sharing more than a thousand pages of notes with family members and keeping classified documents tied to his plans for a memoir.
What the Plea Agreement Means for John Bolton
He had pleaded not guilty at first. The new agreement drops the other 17 counts. In exchange, Bolton accepted responsibility for the single retention charge.
The deal includes a $2.25 million fine and leaves open the possibility of up to five years in prison, though his legal team hopes to evade any jail time.
U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, an Obama appointee, will decide the sentence at a hearing set for Oct. 28.
Also Read: Obama-Appointed Judge Permanently Blocks Trump’s Proof-of-Citizenship Voter Mandate
The case stems from notes Bolton made while serving as national security adviser in Trump’s first term. Prosecutors said the materials included classified national defense information.
Bolton kept some at home and shared portions with relatives who lacked security clearances as he prepared to write about his White House experiences.
Bolton’s Attorney Draws Sharp Contrast With Trump
“Today, Ambassador Bolton did what real leaders do. He took responsibility for a mistake he made, thereby saving the government resources to pursue a case that could expose additional sensitive information,” Abbe Lowell, Bolton’s attorney, said in a statement.
“By contrast, President Trump thumbed his nose at the classified information laws, took actual classified documents to his Florida mansion, interfered with the investigation of that conduct, and has never accepted any accountability for his conduct,” the statement continued.
“Ambassador Bolton, whose offense was only keeping a diary which contained classified information, kept a record to preserve history, but Donald Trump kept secrets to serve himself.”
Defense Blames Politics While Highlighting Accountability
The sharp comparison from Lowell shows the bitter rift between Bolton and his former boss. After Bolton left the administration in 2019, the two became public foes.
Bolton has regularly criticized Trump in the media. Trump, in turn, has called his former adviser names like “lowlife” and “sleazebag.”
Bolton initially described the charges as political retribution. His team had argued that the underlying facts were reviewed years earlier and not pursued as criminal matters at the time.
Lowell previously noted that the notes were personal diaries, some of which investigators had known about since 2021.
Also Read: Thousands of Immigrants Could Lose Legal Status as Supreme Court Backs Trump TPS Move
The plea deal amounts to a significant win for the Justice Department under Trump. It is the first conviction in a series of cases brought against some of the president’s political opponents. Other matters have stalled or remain pending.
Court records show the first indictment alleged that Bolton transmitted classified information via personal email and messaging apps.
The materials reportedly covered his day-to-day work and included confidential information up to the top secret level.
Bolton’s book, published after he left the White House, went through a prepublication review. The current charges focused on the raw notes he compiled beforehand.
What’s Next Before Bolton’s October Sentencing
Bolton’s team hopes Judge Chuang will take into account his acceptance of responsibility and the limited scope of the admitted conduct when deciding on any prison time.
The hearing on Friday wrapped up months of negotiations, with sources familiar with the talks saying the agreement allows both sides to avoid a trial that could have revealed more classified details in open court.
Beyond what his lawyer said, Bolton has not commented publicly. Sentencing in October will determine whether the veteran foreign policy figure, who also served as U.N. ambassador, spends any time behind bars.
