Ex-national security adviser John Bolton will plead guilty in classified information case: AP source

John Bolton speaks at Harvard Kennedy School's John F Kennedy Jr Forum, Sept. 29, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

2026-06-04T14:46:33Z

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information under a deal with the Justice Department that could allow him to avoid prison time, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The deal would resolve a criminal case filed in October that charged Bolton with 18 counts of either retaining or disseminating classified information, including diary-like notes from his time in government that officials say he shared with his family members as he was preparing a memoir about his time in office.

Under the agreement, Bolton would also face a $2.25 million fine, said the person, who insisted on anonymity to discuss a deal that had not been made public. Any prison sentence would be capped at five years, but the agreement allows for him to avoid time behind bars, though the punishment will ultimately be up to a judge.

Bolton is one of multiple adversaries of President Donald Trump who have been prosecuted over the past year by the Republican administration. An FBI investigation into Bolton burst into public view int August when FBI agents served warrants at his Maryland home and office.

He is a a longtime fixture in Republican foreign policy circles who became known for his hawkish views on American power. Bolton served for more than a year in Trump’s first administration before being fired in 2019 and publishing a critical book about the president.

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The administration fought unsuccessfully to block the publication of “The Room Where it Happened” on the grounds that the book risked disclosing classified information. The plea deal that Bolton will enter covers the notes he shared with relatives as opposed to information in the book.

A rearraignment, which typically signals a plea agreement, is scheduled for June 26 in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto

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