John Bolton pleads guilty in classified documents case
John Bolton, who served as national security adviser during President Trump’s first term, pleaded guilty on June 26 in federal court in Maryland to unlawfully retaining classified information. He had earlier pleaded not guilty to 18 criminal counts. Prosecutors said he shared classified material — including notes from intelligence briefings and meetings with foreign leaders — with two relatives in connection with his memoir, The Room Where It Happened.
The plea agreement leaves the sentence to the judge’s discretion within a range of no prison time to five years, alongside a $2.25 million fine and 100 hours of community service. Sentencing is scheduled for October. Addressing the court, Bolton said, “I’m sorry for it.”
The resolution closes one of several prosecutions involving handling of classified records and removes a trial that would have spotlighted a prominent Trump critic. Bolton became an outspoken opponent of the president after leaving the administration.