Bolton is expected to plead guilty to a single count of illegal retention of classified information, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, and pay a fine of more than $2 million. (Credit: Robert Lamkey/AP)
Former national security adviser John Bolton will plead guilty to mishandling classified information while working in President Trump’s first administration, CNN reported Thursday.
Bolton, 77, was indicted in October 2025 on 18 counts of illegally hoarding or sending sensitive information. The charges largely revolved around his best-selling 2020 tell-all “The Room Where It Happened,” in which Bolton gave readers a behind-the-scenes look at his time in the White House.
Reps for Bolton and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A hearing is scheduled for June 26 in Greenbelt, Md., federal court.
(Read more: New York Post, 6/4/2026) (Archive)
A blast from the past that didn’t work out too well:
June 2023. Bolton wanted Trump to do jail time over classified docs:
“If the government can prove what they allege here, shouldn’t this man go to jail?”
Bolton has now pled guilty for mishandling classified materials. pic.twitter.com/iD31M8ZTAR
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) June 4, 2026