Skip to content
Frozen copy retrieved 2026-06-26T22:00:00Z for audit 2026-06-26T21-44-14Z. Original URL:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/26/nation/john-bolton-pleads-gulity/. The Stochastic Parrot does not host or redistribute; this snapshot exists solely so that quoted spans remain verifiable if the original page changes. Character offsets below index into this plain text; highlighted spans are the quotes cited in the audit.
Ex-national security adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to illegally retaining classified information
Ex-national security adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to illegally retaining classified information
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) - Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to illegally retaining classified information, sealing a deal with federal prosecutors that could allow him to avoid a prison term.
Bolton, 77, of Bethesda, Maryland, pleaded guilty to a single count of illegally retaining national defense information, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. His plea agreement with the Justice Department may enable him to avoid time behind bars, but the judge ultimately will decide his punishment.
The plea agreement recommends capping any prison sentence at five years, but the judge isn't bound by that part of the deal. Bolton, who also agreed to pay a fine of $2.25 million, can withdraw his guilty plea if the judge imposes a longer prison sentence or a larger fine.
Other Trump adversaries have been charged with federal crimes during his second term in the White House. While some of those cases have collapsed under judicial scrutiny and amid claims of political retribution, Bolton didn't mount a vigorous defense against his charges before cutting a deal.
The Trump administration fought unsuccessfully to block the book's release, claiming it contained classified information that could jeopardize national security. Trump derided Bolton as a "crazy" warmonger who would have led the country into "World War Six."