John Bolton, former national security adviser, pleads guilty in case involving classified documents

John Bolton, former national security adviser to Donald Trump before becoming a staunch critic of the president, pleaded guilty this Friday to one count of retaining classified documents.

The 77-year-old diplomat pleaded guilty in a federal court in Maryland as part of a plea agreement under which prosecutors will recommend a prison sentence of no more than five years.

When asked by Judge Theodore Chuang about his guilt, Bolton replied, “Yes, Your Honor, and I’m sorry.”

The judge imposed a fine of $2.25 million on him.

Bolton and criticism of Trump

Bolton, one of Trump’s critics who has been a target of the prosecution since the Republican’s return to the White House in early 2025, was charged in October with 18 counts of transmitting and retaining top-secret national defense information.

Prosecutors accused Bolton of having “abused his position as national security adviser by sharing more than 1,000 pages of documents” with two people close to him who lacked clearance to access this type of information.

Local media report that the two people with whom he shared the information were his wife and daughter.

Apparently, the material was later used in a book written by Bolton in which he openly criticized Trump and his administration.

The veteran diplomat frequently appears in the U.S. media, where he is relentless in his criticism of Trump, whom he has branded as “unfit to be president.”