BREAKING: Trump’s Former National Security Adviser Bolton to Plead Guilty to Classified Documents Charges, Pay $2 Million
John Bolton, the former national security adviser who spent years after leaving the Trump White House publicly criticizing his former boss, is set to plead guilty to a single count of illegally retaining sensitive national security documents, according to CNN. As part of the agreement, Bolton will pay a $2 million fine.
The plea deal stems from an 18-count federal indictment filed in Maryland accusing Bolton of transmitting and keeping highly classified material, including detailed diary entries describing his daily activities as national security adviser, classified settings he attended, and intelligence briefings he received. CNN has identified the two people Bolton allegedly shared those notes with as his wife and daughter.
Federal agents raided Bolton’s Bethesda, Maryland home in August 2025, seizing documents marked “secret,” “confidential,” and “classified,” including some referencing weapons of mass destruction. Investigators also collected electronics and files labeled “Trump I-IV.” Bolton had surrendered to authorities in October 2025 to face Espionage Act charges, at the time denying any wrongdoing and vowing to expose what he called Trump’s abuse of power.
The investigation itself began during the Biden administration, well before the current political climate made classified document cases a flashpoint in American politics.
Bolton served as Trump’s national security adviser during the first term before a bitter public falling-out. The two men have disputed the circumstances of Bolton’s departure ever since, with Trump claiming he fired him and Bolton insisting he resigned on his own terms.