John Bolton pleads guilty to one count of retaining classified information after 18-count indictment

John Bolton pleaded guilty on June 26 to one count of unlawfully retaining classified national security information. The plea resolves an 18-count indictment returned in October 2025 that had accused him of retaining more than 1,000 pages of national defense information, including material marked secret and top secret.

Prosecutors alleged Bolton transmitted the information through personal email and messaging accounts to unauthorized family members.

Under the agreement, Bolton admitted to retaining classified information in a private diary entry. He agreed to pay a $2.25 million fine. The charge carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Greenbelt, Maryland, scheduled sentencing for October 28. Bolton had initially pleaded not guilty to the full indictment. The case originated from diary-style notes Bolton kept after serving as national security adviser from April 2018 to September 2019.

The plea does not require him to admit transmitting information to the media or a foreign government. GB News reported that FBI agents searched Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington office in August 2025. The same outlet reported that Bolton may withdraw the plea if the judge imposes a sentence exceeding five years or a fine greater than $2.25 million.