John Bolton, who served as national security adviser under President Donald Trump before leaving the administration and becoming a vocal critic, plans to plead guilty to a single federal count of illegally retaining classified national security documents and has agreed to pay a fine exceeding $2 million, according to reports Thursday.
CNN first reported the provisional deal between Bolton and prosecutors, with the Associated Press and the New York Times later confirming the agreement. Court records show that Bolton is scheduled to appear in court on June 26 to enter the new plea.
The Justice Department filed federal charges against Bolton in October 2025, part of a series of criminal cases brought in rapid succession against Trump critics and former administration officials. MSI previously reported that other former aides, including Carter Page and Michael Flynn, reached settlements with the Justice Department earlier in 2026 paying $1.25 million and approximately $1.2 million, respectively. At the time the charges were filed against Bolton, Trump said he was not aware of the case but described his former adviser as a “bad guy.”
Bolton served as Trump’s third national security adviser from April 2018 to September 2019, when he was pushed out amid disagreements over foreign policy. He went on to write a memoir, “The Room Where It Happened,” that detailed his time in the administration and drew scrutiny over whether the book contained classified information.