John Bolton, the former national security adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump who later became a prominent critic of the president, pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to mishandling classified information and faces a possible prison sentence of up to five years.
During the hearing before U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang, Bolton acknowledged responsibility for the conduct, telling the court, “I’m sorry for it.” Bolton, 77, had previously pleaded not guilty to 18 criminal charges last year before reaching a deal with prosecutors that led to Friday’s guilty plea.
Prosecutors accused Bolton of sharing sensitive information with two relatives while preparing a memoir, including notes from intelligence briefings and meetings with senior government officials and foreign leaders. Authorities said the material was shared through more than 1,000 pages of diary entries.
Under the agreement with prosecutors, Bolton agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine, with half of the amount due within five days of sentencing and the full payment required within 90 days. He also agreed to complete up to 100 hours of community service, participate in debriefings with intelligence and Department of Justice officials, and forfeit his government pension.
Judge Chuang scheduled Bolton’s sentencing for October 28. A sentencing range included in the agreement allows for a penalty ranging from no prison time to as many as five years behind bars, with the final decision to be made by the judge.
Following the guilty plea, Trump criticized Bolton in a post on his Truth Social platform, calling him “terrible” and “unskilled” and saying he hoped Bolton would be “dealt with harshly.” The White House referred a request for comment to the Department of Justice.
Bolton’s case is connected to his 2020 memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” which described his time serving as Trump’s national security adviser during the president’s first term. The book triggered a public dispute between the two men after Bolton portrayed Trump as unfit for office. Prosecutors said Friday that no classified information appeared in the published book.
Authorities also reiterated that Bolton’s personal email account was hacked by an individual believed to be connected to Iran, citing the incident as an example of the risks associated with storing or sharing sensitive information through personal accounts.
Kelly O. Hayes, the U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, said after the hearing that Bolton’s actions put national security at risk. “He put our national security at grave risk,” Hayes said.
Bolton’s lawyer, Abbe D. Lowell, said in a statement that his client accepted responsibility for what Lowell described as a mistake. Lowell contrasted Bolton’s case with the federal investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents, referring to charges that were brought against Trump before being dismissed after he returned to the presidency.
Bolton served as national security adviser during Trump’s first term and later became one of several political opponents of the president to face prosecution by the Justice Department. However, the investigation into Bolton began before Trump returned to office in 2025 and was supported by career federal prosecutors, according to the source material.
