Bolton Folds: Ex-Trump Adviser Cuts Deal To Avoid Prison In Classified Leak Case
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information, striking a deal with the Justice Department that could keep him out of federal prison. The development, disclosed Thursday by a person familiar with the matter, looks to wrap up a multi-count criminal case before it ever hits a courtroom.
The agreement slashes a massive 18-count indictment handed down in October, which accused Bolton of retaining and disseminating highly sensitive national security information. Government officials alleged that Bolton shared “diary-like” notes from his time in the White House with his family while drafting his post-administration memoir.
Under the terms of the new agreement, Bolton faces a $2.25 million fine. While any potential prison sentence under the single count will be capped at five years, the deal explicitly opens the door for a judge to sentence him to probation with no time behind bars.
The final punishment rests solely in the hands of the presiding federal judge. A re-arraignment hearing is currently scheduled for June 26 in Greenbelt, Maryland, which typically formalizes a change of plea. The Justice Department has declined to comment on the matter.
The investigation into Bolton first became public last August when FBI agents executed search warrants at his Maryland home and Washington office. The probe was well underway before President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. This case is part of a broader series of recent Justice Department actions, following indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Bolton, a veteran Republican foreign policy hawk who served in the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations, joined the Trump administration as national security adviser in 2018. His 17-month tenure was marked by frequent policy clashes with the president regarding strategy in North Korea, Iran, and Ukraine. After leaving the administration in 2019, Bolton authored a highly critical memoir, “The Room Where it Happened.”
While the Trump administration previously attempted to block the book’s publication on national security grounds, Bolton’s defense lawyers maintained that a White House National Security Council official had cleared the manuscript of classified material. Ultimately, the criminal indictment bypassed the book itself, focusing instead on personal notes Bolton shared with his wife and daughter.
Court documents revealed that the shared entries contained information classified up to top secret, including intelligence briefings, details on foreign leaders, and specific U.S. capabilities.
Prosecutors noted that in one exchange after transmitting a document, Bolton wrote to his relatives, “None of which we talk about!!!” to which a relative replied, “Shhhhh.” The filings state the documents included sensitive information regarding a foreign adversary’s missile launch plans and details on American covert operations that revealed U.S. intelligence-gathering sources and methods.
Bolton had initially maintained his innocence. Following his initial indictment, he released a statement calling the prosecution part of an “intensive effort” by Trump “to intimidate his opponents, to ensure that he alone determines what is said about his conduct.”
The plea agreement effectively removes the threat of significant prison time that Bolton faced under the original 18 counts.