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Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton leaves federal court after pleading not guilty to charges of mishandling classified material on Oct. 17, 2025, in Greenbelt, Maryland. (Alex Kent / Getty Images)
June 4, 2026 at 7:37am
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton is set to plead guilty to mishandling classified materials, CNN reported Thursday, citing anonymous sources.
Bolton has agreed to pay a fine of more than $2 million and will plead guilty to a single count of illegal retention of sensitive national security documents, one of CNN’s three sources told the outlet. On this count, Bolton can face a prison sentence of up 60 months.
In October 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Bolton on 18 counts in connection to the former Trump administration official’s alleged mishandling of classified information.
Bolton, widely known as a proponent of hawkish foreign policy, served as President Donald Trump’s national security chief from April 2018 to September 2019, before prominently falling out with Trump and becoming a notable detractor of the president.
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